Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Hannibal Man Accused of Making Pipe BombsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Hannibal, Missouri appeared in court Thursday on charges accusing him of making and possessing pipe bombs.
Joshua Eugene Rickey, 33, was indicted October 26 on one felony count of possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices and one count of manufacturing one or more unregistered destructive devices.
The indictment accuses Rickey of manufacturing the pipe bombs between July 4 and August 14 and possessing bombs on August 14.
In a detention motion and in court Thursday, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj said police learned about the pipe bombs after a domestic disturbance. Some were made of PVC pipe and others of galvanized pipe, and Przulj said Rickey was leaving them where they could do harm to others. Rickey had set one off and thrown another into a brush-filled trailer near his grandmother’s house. Investigators found pipe bombs of various sizes our in his home, the motion says, one of which had to be destroyed because it was not safe.
Rickey pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hannibal Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj is prosecuting the case.
East Prairie Man Sentenced to Serve over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Elijah G. Riley, 27, was sentenced Thursday to 135 months in federal prison for the offense of distribution of child pornography. Riley, of East Prairie, Missouri, 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, an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation began communicating with Riley on a social messaging application in August of 2021. During the course of their communications, Riley sent a video depicting an adult male sexually abusing a young female child. The FBI located Riley days later and placed him under arrest. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Riley admitted that he used the internet to send the child pornography video to the agent. After serving his 135-month sentence, Riley will be placed on supervised release for a period of 20 years. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.
Two Men Admit Trying to Bring 100 Pounds of Methamphetamine to the St. Louis AreaRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday and admitted trying to pick up 100 pounds of methamphetamine that was being brought to the St. Louis area from Colorado.
Demond Benard McDaniels Jr., 26, of St. Charles, and Dawuane Lamont Rhodes Jr., 25, of St. Louis, each pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case stemmed from an Oct. 8, 2020 traffic stop in Kansas. A Geary County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a van and found two duffle bags containing roughly 100 pounds of methamphetamine that was being driven from Colorado to the St. Louis area. The Drug Enforcement Administration then arranged for the controlled delivery of the drugs to McDaniels.
McDaniels first arranged to have Rhodes pick up and pay for the methamphetamine at a University City garage. After Rhodes arrived and was arrested with $15,005 in cash, an assault-style weapon and a pistol, McDaniels was told that Rhodes didn’t show. McDaniels was then arrested with $6,930 in cash and jewelry when he came to pick up the methamphetamine.
Investigators later found $93,820 in cash and a pistol at McDaniels' home.
Both men agreed as part of their pleas to forfeit more than $155,000 seized during the investigation, as well as a 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat, a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van and a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat.
McDaniels is scheduled to be sentenced January 31 and Rhodes on February 1. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Fatal 2019 CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis man to 25 years in prison for his role in a fatal 2019 carjacking that was caught on tape.
Jalen Exavier Simms, 27, pleaded guilty August 1 to one count of attempted carjacking resulting in death. He admitted that on June 3, 2019 at just after 6 a.m., he and another armed man saw Jabari Clark sleeping in the driver’s seat of Clark's 2012 Dodge Ram truck in front of his home in the 3000 block of Rauschenbach Avenue in St. Louis.
Simms approached Clark on the driver’s side of the truck while the other man approached the passenger side of the vehicle. Simms tried to remove Clark from the truck at gunpoint. After a struggle, Simms’ companion fired, hitting Clark multiple times. Both men then fled.
The incident was caught by Clark’s surveillance camera. Simms also dropped a phone charging cord that had his DNA on it
Judge Autrey ordered the 25-year sentence to run consecutive to any sentence Simms receives for a pending St. Louis County homicide charge, an arson charge in Ste. Genevieve County and an aggravated assault charge in Madison County.
Investigators are still seeking the identity of the shooter. Anyone with information is asked to call St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division at 314-444-5371 or report information anonymously via St. Louis Regional Crimestoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
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 Man Admits Being Shot While Robbing a St. Louis StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri on Wednesday admitted robbing a St. Louis store of $30 in 2020 before he was shot.
John L. Smith, 43, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a robbery charge and a charge of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Smith admitted that on Aug. 19, 2020, he entered the New Carrie’s Corner Market at 4500 Athlone Avenue, pulled a small black handgun and pointed it through an opening in the plexiglass surrounding the cash register. Smith demanded, “Give me all you got!” He threatened to kill a store employee if he did not move faster toward the register. Another employee fired a shot that hit Smith, who ran away. Smith dropped his cellphone, however, which led investigators to him, as did DNA results from blood left behind.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced February 1 and both sides will recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison, the plea agreement says.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to Four Years for Gun Charge Linked to ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis felon to four years in prison for being caught with guns after a shooting in 2021.
Jerry Johnson, 57, pleaded guilty July 25 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers found two pistols and one rifle at his home on May 24, 2021 while they were investigating a gun crime.
He also admitted being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in a 2003 case in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
In Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, a woman testified that Johnson shot a woman standing on the side of the road near the intersection of Kennerly and North Newstead avenues in St. Louis. The shooting was caught on tape, and officers found a green Cadillac matching the description of the shooter’s car outside Johnson’s home, with the engine still warm.
Johnson was subject to enhanced penalties after Judge Fleissig found that his responsibility for the shooting had been proven by a preponderance of the evidence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case
Former Maryland Heights Police Officer Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a former Maryland Heights police officer who requested nude pictures from an undercover law enforcement officer to four years in prison.
Gregory Ortlip, 57, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty July 27 to one count of attempted possession of child pornography and admitted communicating online with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. During the conversations, Ortlip brought up sex and requested nude pictures from the girl. He also offered to send her pictures of his genitals.
The girl was really an undercover law enforcement officer involved in a Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children investigation.
Ortlip also admitted that in 2020, he communicated with a 15-year-old Kansas girl and requested and received pictures of her breasts. The girl told Ortlip she was 16.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office - Department of Criminal Investigations and the Overland Park (Kansas) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Clayton Man Admits Soliciting Child Pornography from 11-year-oldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Clayton, Missouri pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges and admitted requesting and receiving nude pictures of minors, including pictures of an 11-year-old from Kentucky.
Jason W. Fine, 50, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to two felonies: soliciting child pornography and receiving child pornography.
Fine admitted as part of his plea that between July 1, 2021 and Sept. 2, 2021, he communicated with the 11-year-old Kentucky girl on Kik Messenger while pretending to 11-year-old girl himself. He requested and received nude pictures of the girl.
In an interview with law enforcement on June 14, 2022, Fine said he had communicated online with multiple minors and that a few had sent him child pornography, his plea agreement says.
Fine is scheduled to be sentenced January 31. Both charges carry penalties of five to 20 years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department the Campbell County (Kentucky) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Promoting ProstitutionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty on Monday to a prostitution charge and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
Terico C. Dudley, 39, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to a felony count of using interstate facilities to promote prostitution. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that in December of 2017, St. Louis County Police Department detectives who were monitoring a social media website using a previously created undercover profile received a message from Dudley, using the name “King C.”
Dudley invited the detectives to join his new business, “Kingpin Money Girl Group,” which he called a business for “Bad Girlz.” Dudley said he was looking for women willing to have sex for money, dance in clubs or make webcam videos. Dudley said he would provide a house for the women.
An undercover detective with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona called Dudley, who said he wanted her to join his “kingpin girl gang.” He discussed how the money would be shared as well as work conditions and the safety of his home. He then bought the detective a bus ticket.
The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison. Recommended sentencing guidelines called for 30 to 37 months in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the Florissant Police Department, the Chandler Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted the case.
Longtime Missouri Juvenile Officer Admits Paying for Sex with 15-Year-OldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former longtime deputy juvenile officer in Missouri state court on Monday admitted picking up a vulnerable 15-year-old juvenile who was living in an Illinois group home and engaging in illegal sex acts with her.
Scott F. Burow, 62, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to a felony charge of transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct.
Burow admitted picking up the girl on April 2, 2020 from a public park near the group home, taking her to his home and secretly recording the sex acts. He then dropped her off at a motel in Palmyra, Missouri with little but the clothes on her back. She flagged down a passing police officer for help.
The girl was a ward of the state at the time, living in a facility supporting children struggling with issues related to attachment and developmental trauma.
The two had met on an online dating site, and Burow then negotiated with her and agreed to pay her $100 for sex, his plea agreement says. Burow also demanded that she send him a nude image to ensure that she was not an undercover law enforcement officer or working with police.
As part of his plea, Burow also agreed to forfeit items seized by law enforcement during the investigation, including computers, cell phones, storage devices and a camera.
At his sentencing, scheduled for February 3, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Palmyra police Department, the Hannibal Police Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
St. Charles County Man Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County on Friday admitted possessing and sharing child pornography online.
James Schoggins, 41, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to one felony count of possession of child pornography.
Schoggins admitted possessing videos and images on his laptop computer of a teenage girl, dating back to when she was 13 or 14. Schoggins told the minor what type of images and videos to send to him and engaged in sexual communications with her, his plea says.
He also possessed 421 other videos and 148 images of child pornography.
Schoggins sent child pornography via Kik Messenger and recommended a way to share child sexual abuse material. Claiming to be a 17-year-old male, Schoggins communicated via WhatsApp with someone claiming to be 16 and exchanged nude pictures with her.
After Schoggins accessed multiple images containing child pornography on his Snapchat account, Snapchat reported him to the National center for Missing and Exploited Children, triggering an investigation by law enforcement.
Schoggins is scheduled to be sentenced February 3. He could face up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is handling the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Four Accused of Selling Drugs, Guns in St. Louis and FentonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four men from Jefferson County have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of selling guns and drugs in St. Louis, Missouri and Jefferson County this year.
All four were indicted October 19 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and the final two defendants appeared in court Friday.
Donye “El Baggo” Peace, 18, was indicted on four counts of distribution of cocaine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes and one count of unlicensed firearms trafficking. Anneyus D. James, 18, is facing one drug count. Otis M. Patterson, 21, and Theordore Bradford, 18, are facing one drug count and one each of the firearm charges.
Peace advertised illegal drugs on Instagram and met buyers in public areas as his co-defendants stood guard, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen said in court. He also advertised firearms for sale on Instagram, allowing buyers to avoid a background check that would be required during a sale with a licensed firearm dealer, Finlen said.
Undercover agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives bought drugs and guns from Peace and Patterson, with Bradford standing guard with an AR-15 during one sale, a detention motion says.
The drug charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, and the gun charges carry possible penalties of up to five years.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Warren County Man Used Stolen Mail, Multiple Schemes to Commit FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four people from Warren County, Missouri were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday and accused of using stolen mail and a series of schemes to commit fraud.
Elijah Briggs, 41, of Warren County, was indicted on three counts of bank fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count each of possession of stolen mail and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices. Holly Naylor, 39, Jessica Kirkpatrick, 42, and Reuben Kim, 34, were each indicted on two counts of bank fraud. All but Kirkpatrick are in custody.
From Jan. 31, 2019 through at least 2021, Briggs obtained the personal information, including checking account information, of multiple victims by stealing outgoing or delivered mail from their mailboxes, the indictment says.
He then used a series of schemes to steal money, the indictment says. Briggs altered stolen checks to make them payable to himself or others, opened bank accounts and credit accounts with the stolen information and accessed victims’ accounts online to steal money and change their contact information, the indictment says.
Brigs also attempted to cash a legitimate payroll check to himself multiple times and used information on the check to create fake checks payable to and cashed by Naylor and Kim, the indictment says.
Finally, Briggs created fraudulent and counterfeit checks using stolen banking information that Naylor, Kim and Kirkpatrick then cashed, the indictment says.
"This investigation exposed a broad scope of fraudulent activities that showed a brazen disregard for the victims,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Katherine Greer. “These are not petty crimes that can be easily recovered from, but instead could result in a lifetime of negative financial and emotional turmoil for the victims. HSI and our law enforcement partners will continue our work to combat financial crimes and to dismantle any organization that support it.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the St. Charles Police Department, the St. Peters Police Department, and the Wentzville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on Drug/Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man who was involved in a gun deal that turned into a police chase to five years in prison.
Treyvon Perry, 20, pleaded guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On August 21, 2019 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives watched as Perry’s co-defendant, Michael Joseph Monroe, 25, sold a 9mm pistol for $325 to someone near the Dellwood Market. Perry was in the passenger seat of the car, a black Audi A6 with heavily tinted windows and an Illinois temporary license tag.
Investigators then learned that shortly before the gun deal, the passenger of a black Audi A6 matching the description of Monroe’s car fired multiple shots at another car on westbound Highway I-270 near Old Halls Ferry Road. The shooting victim’s vehicle was hit six times, including three times directly underneath the left driver’s side door. The victim was not injured.
Police located the Audi, and Monroe fled, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph in a chase that lasted about 12 miles before he crashed.
Police found fentanyl in the possession of Perry and fentanyl, cocaine base, oxycodone and a mixture of other drugs in the car, as well as a single bullet.
Perry admitted conspiring with Monroe to possess and discharge a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Monroe, 25, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced December 20.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Woman Admits Role in Romance, Work-At-Home ScamsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County has admitted participating in romance and work-at-home scams and agreed to repay $95,350 to seven victims.
As part of a civil consent decree approved by U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White Wednesday, Sharon Nickl, 83, admitted that between Sept. 21, 2020 and May 20, 2021, she received U.S. Postal Service and commercial package deliveries of more than $690,000 that had been sent from individuals she did not know. The money was sent from victims who believed they were assisting their online paramours or had been hired to work from home.
Nickl, a victim herself of a romance fraud scheme, began participating after she depleted her own financial accounts and the proceeds from the sale of her home. Nickl then began operating as a “money mule” by transferring the money she received to the person she thought was her own online paramour by using bitcoin machines and purchasing gift cards and prepaid debit cards.
Nickl was not criminally charged.
According to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming, “As in every case brought to the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s office, we consider a variety of factors when determining whether to employ civil, criminal, or administrative remedies in addressing romance fraud schemes. Because Nickl had minimal law enforcement contact prior to her receipt of money from others, did not benefit personally from the scheme and became engaged in the scheme through her online paramour, this office and Nickl requested entry of a civil consent decree that required Nickl to adhere to conditions that included making restitution to the identified victims, submitting to computer monitoring and supervision by the Federal Pretrial Services Office and participating in an online support group for romance fraud victims.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case.
Nurse at St. Louis County Hospital Admits Fraudulently Obtaining FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A nurse at a St. Louis County, Missouri hospital pleaded guilty to a federal felony Thursday and admitted fraudulently obtaining fentanyl for her own use.
Lindsay J. Maupin, 31, of Cape Girardeau, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Maupin, a registered nurse, admitted that from Jan. 18, 2020 to Feb. 2, 2020, while working at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County, she fraudulently obtained fentanyl from a Pyxis machine for her own use on multiple occasions.
Maupin is scheduled to be sentenced February 2. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric prosecuted the case.
Florissant Man Accused of Robbing Five Florissant BusinessesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri was indicted Wednesday and accused of robbing five stores or restaurants in Florissant since 2021.
Kevin E. West Jr., 22, was indicted on five counts of robbery and two counts of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The indictment accuses West of robbing a Dollar Tree store on May 26, 2021, a different Dollar Tree on Dec. 1, 2021, a Subway on January 2, 2022, a GameStop on January 5 and a second Subway on January 28.
West is also facing robbery charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
The robbery charges carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, and the gun charges carry a potential sentence of seven years to life in prison.
This case was investigated by the Florissant Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Wednesday sentenced a man caught with a gun while overdosing on fentanyl to six years in prison.
Derrick Hart pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm and admitted possessing that gun on March 3, 2020. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers found Hart unconscious on the side of Goodfellow Boulevard with a stolen 9mm pistol and a large-capacity magazine in his waistband. He was revived by EMS and taken to the hospital.
A few hours after his release from the hospital, Hart viciously beat his then-girlfriend in front of her 9-year-old daughter, according to a sentencing memo. Hart became enraged when he thought the victim said another man’s name during a phone call and struck her in the face. The two then struggled over a mop, which broke, and he hit her twice in the face with the jagged metal handle.
Hart’s prior felony convictions include drug charges, robbery and felonious restraint.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.
St. Francois County Man Convicted of Child pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Park Hills, Missouri was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday on charges of receiving child pornography and accessing with intent to view child pornography.
Investigators learned in 2019 that child sexual abuse materials were available via a peer-to-peer file sharing application and traced it to Rodney D. Price, 42. They later found that Price had used his phone to search for and view child sexual abuse materials. They found 167 images containing those materials on his phone.
Price is scheduled to be sentenced January 31. The receiving child pornography charge carries a potential penalty of five to 20 years in prison and the charge of accessing child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri’s State Technical Assistance Team and Investigator Donya Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jillian Anderson and Rob Livergood are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Rapper Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis rapper pleaded guilty Tuesday in the middle of his jury trial to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Arthur Pressley, a.k.a. 30 Deep Grimeyy or Grimeyy, was a convicted felon when he and others were stopped by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on Jan. 5, 2021 in a 2008 Pontiac G8. The Pontiac had a taillight out and had license plates registered to a Jeep.
Police found a Beretta 92FS 9mm pistol between Pressley and a fellow occupant of the car. Pressley admitted as part of his plea agreement possessing the gun a number of times between Oct. 4, 2020, the day after it was purchased, and the date of the traffic stop.
Investigators also found pictures of Pressley and the gun on the social media accounts of Pressley and others and in Pressley’s phone, including one in which the partial serial number of the gun could be seen. Pressley also discusses the gun in messages.
Pressley, as a convicted felon, is barred from possessing firearms. He was twice convicted of a charge of unlawful use of a weapon.
Prosecutors will argue at Pressley’s sentencing that after the traffic stop, he began sending text messages to the original purchaser of the gun. Pressley asked that man to falsify a bill of sale to one of the other occupants of the Pontiac.
Pressley, 25, of St. Louis, is scheduled to be sentenced February 1. The gun charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been investigating Pressley and his gang, 30 Deep, for over a year at the time of the traffic stop.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassandra Wiemken and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.
United States Attorney Sayler Fleming Announces District Election Officers Responsible for Handling Election Day ComplaintsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Hal Goldsmith and Jennifer Roy will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 8, 2022, general election. AUSAs Goldsmith and Roy have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Eastern District of Missouri, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Fleming said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
U.S. Attorney Fleming stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs/DEOs Goldsmith and Roy will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (314) 539-7733.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by calling Election Crimes Coordinator Special Agent Steve Singleton at (314) 589-3211.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
U.S. Attorney Fleming said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Former St. Louis County Employee Admits Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri employee on Friday admitted hatching a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds in exchange for kickbacks.
Anthony “Tony” Weaver Sr. pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark to four felony counts of wire fraud. Weaver was the “change management coordinator” at the St. Louis County jail at the time of his indictment in May and previously served as the administrative assistant to a former St. Louis County Council member.
Weaver admitted approaching a man who owned several small businesses in St. Louis County
with a scheme to fraudulently apply for grants from the county’s Small Business Relief (SBR) Program, shortly after that program began in May of 2020. The program used federal CARES Act money to help small businesses deal with the cost of closures due to pandemic-related stay-at-home orders.
Weaver approached the businessman, identified in court as “John Smith,” on May 6, 2020 and said his former boss on the council, identified as “Jane Doe,” needed to know the names of Smith’s businesses so she could approve them for a grant. Weaver said he would fill out applications for the maximum grant of $15,000 for each of Smith’s six businesses, adding that Doe’s office is “going to do what I tell them to do.”
Weaver then filled out the applications, falsely claiming that the businesses were closed and had to lay off employees during the pandemic. Weaver concealed the fact that Smith had at least 25% ownership in all six businesses because an owner was only allowed to apply for one grant. Weaver also promised on multiple occasions to split any resulting grants with Smith. Weaver discussed ways to conceal the fact that he was filling out the applications to prevent discovery of the scheme and any resulting kickbacks from Smith.
Weaver ultimately failed to obtain any fraudulent grants for Smith, but told Smith he’d been paid $300 as a kickback for obtaining a grant for someone else.
Weaver is scheduled to be sentenced January 25, 2023. Each wire fraud charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Man Who Fired Fatal Shots in Reality Show Star’s Murder-For-Hire Conspiracy Sentenced to 32 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man who killed a reality show star’s nephew to 32 years in prison.
Travell Anthony Hill, 31, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire in the death of Andre Montgomery Jr. on March 14, 2016.
In court Thursday, Hill re-affirmed what he’d admitted in his plea agreement. He admitted meeting with Montgomery’s uncle, James Timothy Norman, on the day of the murder. He admitted understanding that Norman wanted Montgomery killed, and that a woman would provide him Montgomery’s location so he could commit the murder.
Hill then obtained a .380-caliber handgun and fatally shot Montgomery, 21, at 3964 Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis after the woman lured Montgomery outside. Hill disposed of the gun and his phone and was paid $5,000 two days later.
Hill testified at Norman’s trial in September, before jurors convicted Norman, 43, of murder-for-hire and insurance fraud charges.
In court Thursday, Montgomery’s brother, Darren Griggs spoke of the effect of the murder on his family, saying, “We’re not whole and we never will be again.”
Judge Ross called Hill’s ambush of Montgomery “incredibly cold and callous” before stating Hill’s sentence.
Norman, of Jackson, Mississippi, is scheduled to be sentenced March 2.
Norman and Montgomery appeared on the reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s. Norman arranged for his nephew’s murder after fraudulently obtaining a life insurance policy worth $450,000 on Montgomery.
Ellis and the insurance agent, and Waiel “Wally” Rebhi Yaghnam, 44, both pleaded guilty on July 22. Ellis, an exotic dancer from Memphis, Tennessee who was paid $10,000 for locating Norman, pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire conspiracy charge. Yaghnam pleaded guilty to a charge of wire and mail fraud conspiracy and admitted submitting five separate life insurance applications containing numerous false statements about Montgomery and then helping Norman file a claim.
Yaghnam is scheduled to be sentenced November 1 and Ellis on January 10.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis and Gwendolyn Carroll are prosecuting the case.
Man Indicted for St. Louis CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from East St. Louis, Illinois was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for a July 12 carjacking in St. Louis.
Brandon Best, 20, was indicted on a carjacking charge and a charge of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Charging documents say Best was one of two men who took a woman’s 2011 Kia Optima at gunpoint early on the morning of July 12. The woman told officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department that she was confronted by two armed men when she opened the door of her car, which had been parked in the 1000 block of Geyer Avenue. One man demanded her keys before fleeing in her vehicle.
The victim’s Kia was spotted driving into East St. Louis and chased by police there back to St. Louis, where Best was arrested near Interstate 44 and South Jefferson Avenue. A black, semi-automatic 9mm pistol was found nearby, charging documents say.
Best was charged by complaint October 4 with the same offenses.
The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The firearm charge is punishable by at least seven years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
These cases were investigated by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Running St. Louis Drug RingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who ran a drug ring in St. Louis to 20 years in prison.
James L. Brownridge, 49, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty July 28 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana.
Brownridge admitted that beginning in 2020, he’d arranged to have drugs mailed from Las Vegas to several locations in the St. Louis area. One package found by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department contained about six pounds of methamphetamine. Another, caught at a postal distribution center in Hazelwood and bound for a home in University City, had nearly three kilograms of cocaine and about two pounds of marijuana.
Investigators also caught Brownridge selling 884.9 grams of methamphetamine to a co-defendant on March 19, 2021.
When investigators searched homes linked to Brownridge and his co-conspirators in April of 2021, they found drugs, cash and firearms. At a home in Jennings, they found 1.3 kilos of methamphetamine and caught a woman who had removed 180.9 grams of methamphetamine, 308 grams of cocaine, 102 grams of cocaine base, a drug ledger and $11,560 in drug proceeds from the house.
At Brownridge’s home in the 5300 block of Mimika Avenue, they found $29,683 in cash, 873 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, 172 grams of cocaine, a Ruger 9mm firearm with an extended magazine and a Smith and Wesson 9mm firearm, according to his plea.
In total, Brownridge admitted being responsible for just under six kilos of methamphetamine, 3.3 kilos of cocaine and 102 grams of cocaine base.
The investigation began with a tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration about a low-level drug dealer.
All 11 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty. Four others have already been sentenced, receiving up to 14 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.
Oak Ridge Man Sentenced to Serve 112 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The United States Attorney's Office announced that Joseph M. Lopez, age 40, of Oak Ridge, Missouri, was sentenced to serve 112 months in federal prison for the offense of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Lopez appeared for his sentencing hearing Monday before United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Lopez’s residence in Oak Ridge last November. A 9mm pistol was discovered inside a safe in Lopez’s bedroom. Officers also discovered methamphetamine and various drug paraphernalia items during the search. Lopez is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law due to his status as a convicted felon. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Lopez admitted that he possessed the pistol. After serving his 112-month sentence, Lopez will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years.
This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Man Charged in Fatal St. Louis CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis appeared in court Tuesday to face a federal carjacking charge connected to a fatal shooting in St. Louis earlier this month.
Laveal D. Jones II, 24, was charged by complaint October 14 with carjacking.
Charging documents say Jones and the victim were at a Sauget, Illinois night club early on the morning of October 1. Based on witnesses and electronic evidence, they later drove back to St. Louis, dropping off someone else before pausing in the 3000 block of Walton Place. They arrived at 4:24 a.m. Two shots were heard two minutes later. Shortly after the shots were heard, a body could be seen on video in the street. Other video cameras spotted the victim’s car being driven to East St. Louis. Police were called to Walton Place at about 5:46 a.m. and found the victim’s body.
The East Saint Louis Fire Department found the victim’s 2015 Kia K900 on fire at 5:51 a.m.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Four Men Charged in Connection in St. Louis Area Mail TheftsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men accused of federal crimes connected to the theft of mail or attempted theft of mail appeared in court Tuesday to face charges and a fourth has also been indicted.
Tahj K. Boyd, 19, of St. Louis County, and James R. Townsend, 18, of Ferguson, were indicted September 21 on one felony charge of mail theft. Their indictment says they stole mail from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes outside the Post Office at 1100 Town and Country Commons Drive in Town and Country on September 1.
Dwaundre K. Valley, 19, of Bridgeton, was indicted September 21 on three felony charges of bribery of a public official. The indictment says Valley offered three different postal carriers money for the keys that allow access to certain mail collection boxes. On March 4 he approached someone in St. Ann, Missouri, the indictment says. Valley then made similar offers on April 15 in Florissant and April 20 in Maryland Heights.
Dennis Cooperwood Jr., 19, of Country Club Hills, was indicted October 12 on one felony charge of possession of stolen mail matter. Cooperwood’s indictment accuses him of being in possession of about 179 business and personal checks on April 12 that had been taken from a collection box.
The mail theft and possession of stolen mail matter charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The bribery charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“Today’s arrests are the result of the well-coordinated investigative efforts between Postal Inspectors and our local and federal law enforcement partners,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Kai Pickens, who heads the St. Louis Field Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “The Inspection Service is firmly committed to bringing to justice, those who choose to steal mail and victimize the good citizens of St. Louis.”
Chief James Cavins of the Town and Country Police Department said, “We wish to thank all of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners for the coordinated effort in bringing this investigation to a successful conclusion. This partnership is paramount to our collective success and the ability to provide closure for those affected. We will continue to work aggressively with other law enforcement organizations at all levels throughout the St. Louis region to investigate, arrest and seek charges for those who choose to engage in criminal activity.”
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Town and Country Police Department, and a U.S. Marshals Service task force that includes the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Chinese Foreign National Attending Southeast Missouri State University Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The United States Attorney's Office announced that Haoyu Wang, age 29, has been sentenced to serve seven years in federal prison for the offense of Possession of Child Pornography. Wang appeared for his sentencing hearing Monday before United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Wang’s residence in January 2021 after developing probable cause that he was uploading videos containing child pornography. Wang, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was attending Southeast Missouri State University on a student visa at the time. Numerous items were seized from Wang’s residence, including his cell phone and computer. Investigators subsequently discovered a large volume of child pornography on the devices. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Wang admitted that he downloaded the material over the internet. After serving his sentence, Wang will be deported back to China.This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Missouri State Employee Accused of Stealing $140,000 in Unemployment Insurance FundsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri state employee has been indicted on three federal felony charges and accused of using her position to send about $140,500 in unearned unemployment benefits to friends, relatives and others.
According to the indictment, Vicky Hefner, 63, of Jefferson County, Missouri, began work with Missouri’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Employment Security as a benefit program specialist in 2009. She worked out of her home and an office in St. Louis helping people file their claims over the phone and adjudicating issues people were having with unemployment claims.
From July to December of 2020, Hefner logged into the accounts of multiple friends, relatives or associates, the indictment says. She changed their status and used her credentials in ways that either made them eligible for unemployment benefits or increased their benefits, the indictment says,
She also triggered unemployment payments to people who were still working, the indictment says. Hefner’s friends and relatives then paid her kickbacks, the indictment says.
Hefner was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 28 on three charges of theft of public money. She pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. If convicted, Hefner will also be ordered to repay the money.
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 Office of Inspector General at both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.
Three More Face Charges in Teen’s Fentanyl Overdose Death in Jefferson CountyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three more people have been indicted in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of a 19-year-old in Jefferson County, Missouri, including those accused of supplying the man who gave drugs to the victim.
William Edward Martin, 22, of St. Louis County, appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to five felonies: conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl with a resulting death, distribution of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The death resulting charge carries a potential penalty of 20 years to life in prison, and the fentanyl conspiracy charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Martin was originally charged by complaint in July. Steven “Lemon” Littler, 33, Jacqueline Williamson, 33, and Tanisha Payne, 22, were added in an October 5 indictment.
Williamson also pleaded not guilty Tuesday. Littler pleaded not guilty October 6. Payne is expected to turn herself in Thursday.
“Hard work by federal and local investigators resulted in charges not only against the person who provided a fatal dose of fentanyl to the victim, but those higher up in the chain of supply,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming. “These charges won’t bring this young girl back, but will provide some accountability for a heinous crime and hopefully serve as a warning to those who sell this potentially fatal drug.”
Littler and Williamson also face the death resulting and conspiracy charges. Williamson also faces charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Payne was indicted on the conspiracy charge and a charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Charging documents say Martin sold fentanyl to the teen in a Walgreens parking lot in Arnold on June 23. Surveillance video shows the woman getting into a BMW with Martin. Martin then dragged the teen out of the BMW and put her in the backseat of her vehicle, where she was found dead the next morning.
Motions seeking to have Littler and Williamson held in jail until trial say they supplied Martin with fentanyl on multiple occasions, including the fentanyl that killed the teen. Their distribution of fentanyl “presents a lethal threat to those purchasing drugs,” a motion says. Williamson had a firearm on July 11, when law enforcement arrived at her home, and was using drugs, a motion says. Drugs were also being prepared for sale in her home, the motion says.
Both were also caught after their arrest with more suspected fentanyl hidden on their person, according to court documents and statements. Williamson failed to tell deputy U.S. Marshals after her arrest about the drugs, which were found at the federal courthouse. Suspected narcotics were found on Littler prior to his entry into jail.
"Overdose deaths are the tragic consequence of someone's greed and lack of regard for human life," said Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis, head of DEA’s St. Louis Division. "With drug overdose deaths at historic highs, DEA will work relentlessly to destroy the criminal networks pouring dangerous drugs into our communities, so that they can longer cause harm to families."
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 is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Arnold Police Department, The U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Louis County Police Department.
Retired St. Louis Priest Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –A retired St. Louis priest pleaded guilty to federal charges Wednesday and admitted possessing thousands of images containing child pornography.
James T. Beighlie, 72, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp. In his plea agreement, Beighlie admitted that on May 17, 2021, while he was working at the Congregation of the Mission in St. Louis, colleagues found compromising images of Beighlie on a church printer.
The church launched an internal investigation that included a review of four desktop computer towers, a laptop and a smartphone used by Beighlie. When a private IT support company found what appeared to be videos of minors engaging in sex acts, an attorney for the church contacted the FBI.
About 6,000 images of child sexual abuse material were found on one computer, including about 3,000 images containing child pornography and 2,992 images of child erotica, Beighlie’s plea says. There were also two PowerPoint presentations created by Beighlie that linked to thousands of the images. Another computer had 236 images and 40 videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Beighlie is scheduled to be sentenced January 10.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang 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.
Florissant Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison, Ordered to Repay $787,000 in Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a Florissant woman who committed coronavirus pandemic fraud to two years in prison and ordered her to repay $787,000.
Dionneshae Forland, 51, will be on supervised release for five years after she gets out of prison.
Forland pleaded guilty in July to bank fraud, theft of government property and four counts of wire fraud and admitted a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from the Paycheck Protection Program and the Missouri Small Business Grant Program.
Forland took advantage of relief programs intended for small businesses and employees at risk of losing their jobs and used the money for personal expenses, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow said in court.
From January 2021 through May 2021, Forland lied on PPP loan applications about payroll and the number of employees and submitted fraudulent documents to obtain four loans totaling $592,225. She spent the money on personal expenses.
Forland also fraudulently obtained a $150,000 loan for a company linked to her son, Dwayne Times, and two loans totaling $36,600 on behalf of two people referred to her by Times.
Forland unsuccessfully submitted four fraudulent grant applications to the Missouri Small Business Grant Program in July 2020. She did succeed in fraudulently obtaining a grant of $49,988. After Times took out $8,000 in cash, the money was “clawed back” due to officials’ fraud suspicions.
Nearly $600,000 has been seized from various accounts linked to Forland or Times.
Times, 31, pleaded guilty June 9 to one count each of wire fraud and theft of government property. Judge White sentenced him Tuesday to five years of probation and ordered Times to repay $194,850.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Woman Sentenced to a Year in Prison, Ordered to Repay $267,000 in Pandemic Rental FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a woman from St. Louis County, Missouri to a year and a day in prison and ordered her to repay the $267,239 she reaped in a pandemic-related fraud.
Semaj Portis, 43, registered a company called Forever Riding with the Missouri Secretary of State on Jan. 15, 2021, then submitted 52 fraudulent applications for rent assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission, which administered Emergency Rental Assistance and COVID-19 Emergency Solutions Grants. Portis listed herself or Forever Riding as the landlord and also submitted fraudulent rental leases.
The grants were designed to help both landlords and their financially struggling tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic and “could have and should have gone to Missourians who were struggling during the darkest days of the pandemic,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman said in court Friday.
Portis, who used the money for vacations and to purchase real estate, took “advantage of a once-in-a-generation crisis,” Wiseman said.
“For too many Missourians, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented time of financial hardship, turmoil, and suffering. But for Defendant Semaj Portis, it constituted a lucrative opportunity to line her pockets with relief payments earmarked for struggling Missourians,” Wiseman wrote in a sentencing memo.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
“The United States Secret Service will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to aggressively target individuals and groups who attempt to take advantage of federal programs designed to help those in need,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas Landry of the U.S. Secret Service St. Louis Field Office.
Anyone with information about rental assistance fraud should contact the FBI at [email protected] or (314) 589-2500.
St. Louis Man Who Carjacked Two People Sentenced to 19 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri who carjacked two vehicles in 2020 while armed to 19 years in prison.
Andre Whitfield, 32, of St. Louis, was also sentenced to 18 months more in prison for violating his supervised release in a 2011 case in which he was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On April 21, 2020, Whitfield stole a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix at gunpoint from a woman who had given he and his paramour, Cherri Barton, a ride. Barton had asked the victim, who was her cousin, for the ride before Whitfield pointed a gun at the woman and said, “Give me everything you got and get out of the car,” his plea agreement says.
On May 13, 2020, Barton asked a woman in her 70s for directions before Whitfield flashed a pistol and took the woman’s 2010 Toyota Corolla. The woman’s purse, which contained $700, was in the vehicle when it was stolen. Police later spotted the car, and Whitfield crashed after a high-speed chase. Police found an AR-15 rifle and a .45-caliber pistol in the car.
Whitfield pleaded guilty July 1 to two counts of carjacking and two counts of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Cherri Barton, 36, of Northwoods, pleaded guilty July 7 to one count each of carjacking and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. At her sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 13, she could face at least seven years in prison for the gun charge.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Hillsdale Police Department.
Cahokia Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison on Felon in Possession ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a man from Cahokia, Illinois to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm on two separate occasions.
Freddie Tilmon, 31, pleaded guilty June 7 to two counts being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that he and his co-defendant, Tishonda Turner, 32, of St. Louis County, went to a St. Louis County gun store on August 8, 2020 and spent $3,984 on three guns, ammunition and accessories. Tilmon told Turner what to buy.
One of the guns, a Glock semiautomatic pistol, was found by authorities when Tilmon was pulled over in Sandy Springs, Georgia on Nov. 21, 2020.
Tilmon was initially indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 3, 2021. When the U.S. Marshals found and arrested him on Oct. 14, 2021, a second Glock pistol with an extended magazine was discovered.
In a sentencing memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kourtney Bell said that on July 28, 2020, an East St. Louis police officer spotted Tilmon with what appeared to be an assault rifle in the driver’s seat of in a car outside of a nightclub. The incident triggered an officer-involved shooting that injured a passenger in Tilmon’s car. Law enforcement later discovered that two pistols found in Tilmon’s car were purchased by Turner at the same gun store as in the August purchase.
Tilmon still faces a federal charge in Georgia of being a felon in possession of a firearm and state charges in Illinois, Bell said in court.
Turner pleaded guilty Feb. 11, 2022 and was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to two counts of making a false statement to a federally-licensed firearms dealer: on July 16, 2020 and again on August 8, 2020.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kourtney Bell prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl That Killed Pregnant WomanRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis County to 12 years in prison for selling the fentanyl that killed a pregnant woman in 2018.
Judge Schelp also ordered Raymond Blankenship, 27, to pay restitution of $10,300 to the victim’s mother.
Blankenship sold fentanyl capsules to the woman on Sept. 17, 2018. She originally tried to buy a painkiller from Blankenship via Facebook Messenger. Blankenship said he was out, but would call someone else to see if they had any drugs. They later arranged to meet. Blankenship knew he was providing the victim fentanyl, and knew she was pregnant.
She died a few hours later of acute fentanyl intoxication. The victim’s family found her after the overdose but was unable to save her. She left behind a young son.
“Our world is forever changed,” one of the victim’s relatives told Judge Schelp Thursday. “Fentanyl is the work of the devil.”
After the woman’s death, St. Louis County police detectives posed as the woman and arranged to buy more drugs from Blankenship. When police tried to arrest him, Blankenship ran and swallowed some capsules containing fentanyl.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department.
St. Charles County Man Admits Downloading and Sharing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Peters, Missouri on Thursday admitted downloading and sharing child pornography via a variety of social media apps.
Eric Crews, 37, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of child pornography in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Crews admitted using social media to send and receive child pornography, including via large group chats.
The investigation began when Crews uploaded 14 files containing child sexual abuse material to Kik Messenger on Nov. 11, 2020, and shared them with at least one other Kik user.
A tip from the messaging app to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children resulted in a court-approved search of Crews’ home by St. Charles County police on June 15, 2021. Investigators found at least 5,400 images and 610 videos containing child pornography on Crews’ Apple iPhone. Also on the phone was evidence of Crews’ use of Viber, WhatsApp and TamTam accounts to obtain child sexual abuse material, his plea agreement says.
Crews could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both when sentenced January 6.
The St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ralls County Woman Admits Embezzling $1.2 millionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Ralls County, Missouri on Thursday admitted embezzling more than $1.2 million from her employer over six years.
Stephanie D. Carper, 51, admitted taking advantage of her position as secretary of a family-owned Ralls County agricultural business to write checks to herself. From September 2013 to September 2019, Carper filled in her own name on at least 44 checks that had been pre-signed by the company’s owner and his relatives so they could be used to pay vendors, Carper’s plea agreement says. Carper then wrote in false explanations on bank deposit slips and the check registry to conceal her thefts.
Carper used the money to buy a 2015 Nissan Murano SUV, a 2016 Toyota Tundra pickup, a Caterpillar 247 skid loader and vacations to Alaska and elsewhere, the plea agreement says.
Carper, who has since moved to Eufaula, Alabama, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a felony bank fraud charge. At her sentencing, scheduled for January 9, Carper could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. She will also be ordered to repay the money.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 30 Months, Ordered to Repay $7.5 million for Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh on Thursday sentenced a business owner from Jackson, Missouri to 30 months in prison for health care fraud and ordered him to repay $7.5 million.
Jamie McCoy, 42, pleaded guilty on Nov. 23, 2020 to three felony counts: health care fraud, making false statements related to health care matters and offering and paying illegal kickbacks for referrals. He admitted owning or operating companies that supplied orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment (DME): AE Wellness LLC, Summit Medical Supply, Patriot Medical Supply and DME Device Co.
McCoy contracted with marketing firms who placed ads on television and online that offered orthotic braces at no cost. The companies sent patient information to a telemedicine doctor who signed an order for medical equipment without evaluating or even communicating with the patient in some cases, McCoy’s plea agreement says. Those leads, consisting of the patient information and the medical equipment order, were then sold to DME companies.
McCoy admitted paying 70% to 80% of his profits to one person who supplied leads to AE Wellness. Another received $35-40 for leads without a doctor’s order and $280-$300 for a “full lead.”
From September 2016 to August 2017, AE Wellness submitted $6 million in reimbursement claims to Medicare for DME and $67,955 to Tricare. Patriot Medical Supplies billed Tricare $23,951. McCoy admitted knowing Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare, which reimburses for health care services provided to current and former members of the military and their families, would not pay for items obtained by paying illegal kickbacks.
After AE Wellness was suspended in 2017 for paying illegal kickbacks, McCoy, AE’s office manager Brandy McKay and Jackson Preston Siples III, who ran day-to-day operations at AE, opened new DME companies. They concealed McCoy’s role, and continued to pay kickbacks for referrals and leads, McCoy’s plea agreement says.
From June 5, 2018 to March 21, 2019, McCoy and McKay submitted $1.8 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare and $15,540 to Tricare on behalf of a company known as MC Medical. From March 8, 2018 to March 13, 2019, Siples submitted $6 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare and $145,614 to Tricare on behalf of a company known as Integrity Medical Supply. Siples submitted $922,562 in false claims to Medicare from March 5, 2019 to Match 27, 2019 on behalf of Radiance Health Group.
McKay went on to manage a series of companies that continued the scheme.
“Submitting false claims for medically unnecessary equipment diverts funding from the necessary services required to support beneficiaries of federal health care programs,” stated Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable individuals who choose to waste vital taxpayer dollars by participating in health care fraud schemes.”
McKay was sentenced Jan. 18, 2022 to three years in prison and ordered to repay $7.5 million. Siples pleaded guilty in May to the same charges as McCoy and is awaiting sentencing.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.
Franklin County Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Child EnticementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man who tried to meet with a 12-year-old girl for sex and then fled from police to 18 years in prison.
Joshua L. Brown, 40, of from St. Clair, Missouri, pleaded guilty Dec. 21, 2021 to a felony charge of coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted offering drugs to a 12-year-old in exchange for sex, while he was on parole from a child molestation conviction.
On March 3, 2020, Brown used Instagram to contact the girl. He made remarks about the girl’s breasts, requested photographs and referenced engaging in sexual acts with her. The girl told her mother, who contacted the Breckenridge Hills Police Department.
“We are incredibly indebted and grateful to this child - that she did the right thing,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.
Police took over the girl’s cellphone and Instagram account and began posing as the girl. Brown offered to provide marijuana and methamphetamine if the girl would engage in sexual intercourse. Brown arranged to meet the girl at Sims Park in Breckenridge Hills to engage in sex.
On March 17, 2020, he showed up in a Ford F150 truck at about 12:45 a.m. and sent a message via Instagram to the girl telling her to “leave now” so the two could meet. When a police officer in a marked patrol vehicle activated his emergency lights and tried to stop Brown, he sped off, running three stop signs and two traffic lights before reaching the highway. Brown eventually drove off of Interstate 44 and down a steep embankment before crashing the truck through the gate of a private property owner’s land. Brown then abandoned his truck and fled on foot.
He was arrested in Jefferson County after a brief standoff in January of 2021.
A review of Brown’s Instagram account revealed that the defendant followed a large number of Instagram pages devoted to young girls.
At the time of his initial arrest, Brown was on parole after being sentenced to seven years in state prison in a 2011 case in Jefferson County Circuit Court. He had pleaded guilty to child molestation in the first degree in a case involving a victim under the age of 12.
The Breckenridge Hills Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Southeast Missouri Police Officer Indicted on Civil Rights ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A former police officer from the southeast Missouri city of Piedmont has been indicted and accused of violating the civil rights of two people and then lying to the FBI about it.
Woodrow Massa, 66, of Wayne County, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau Tuesday on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of lying to the FBI.
The indictment says Massa, while a Piedmont police officer, participated in the arrest and detention of two people “despite the absence of an arrest warrant or probable cause.” The arrest deprived the people of the Constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizure, the indictment says.
The first arrest, of someone identified in court documents as “J.R.,” occurred on Aug. 12, 2020, the indictment says. The second, of “E.W.,” occurred on Dec. 22, 2020, the indictment says.
The indictment says Massa lied about the arrest of J.R. twice in FBI interviews: first on Oct. 5, 2020 in Wayne County and again on May 24, 2021 in Cape Girardeau County. Massa lied by saying he was not present in the booking room while J.R. was being processed, despite a video recording depicting his presence there, the indictment says.
Massa is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau October 13 to answer the charges.
Each misdemeanor civil rights charge carries a potential penalty of up to a year in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both. The felony charge of making a false statement carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Missouri Takes Part in Department’s Wide-Ranging Efforts to Protect Older AdultsRead the Press Release
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI – The Justice Department announced today the results of its efforts over the past year to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation. During the past year, the Department and its law enforcement partners tackled matters that ranged from mass-marketing scams that impacted thousands of victims to bad actors scamming their neighbors. Substantial efforts were also made over the last year to return money to fraud victims. Today, the Department also announced it is expanding its Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force to amplify efforts to combat scams originating overseas.
“We are intensifying our efforts nationwide to protect older adults, including by more than tripling the number of U.S. Attorneys’ offices participating in our Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force dedicated to disrupting, dismantling and prosecuting foreign-based fraud schemes that target American seniors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This expansion builds on the Justice Department’s existing work to hold accountable those who steal funds from older adults, including by returning those funds to the victims where possible.”
“This office has done more than just prosecute those who prey on older adults,” said Sayler A. Fleming, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. “Along with law enforcement partners, older adult advocates and consumer protection groups, we have focused on providing education, outreach events and other vital services to vulnerable populations to try and help them avoid becoming victims in the first place.”
During the period from September 2021 to September 2022, Justice Department personnel and its law enforcement partners pursued approximately 260 cases involving more than 600 defendants, both bringing new cases and advancing those previously charged.
This past year, the Eastern District of Missouri pursued seven elder fraud cases involving 10 defendants, 62 victims who were over the age of 60 and losses in excess of $4,300,000. The fraud schemes ranged from embezzlement by a bank manager from elderly account holders to romance fraud schemes involving transnational groups to a woman who fraudulently obtained an $18,000 student loan. With the assistance of the district’s law enforcement partners and advocacy groups, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been able to prosecute fraudsters and provide necessary resources to their victims.
As part of the Eastern District of Missouri’s efforts to combat elder fraud, it engages in outreach to the community and industry to raise awareness about scams and exploitation and preventing victimization. By networking with the St. Louis Elder Financial Protection Coalition, the Better Business Bureau’s Consumer Fraud Task Force and Cape Girardeau County, the district has participated in the Cape Girardeau County Senior Information Fair and the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The office also helped produce a public service announcement featuring an 81-year-old money mule and educated the public via the media. Members of the U.S. Attorney’s office and our federal law enforcement partners are available to conduct educational seminars for community groups, civic organizations and other groups.
The Justice Department also highlighted three other efforts: expansion of the Transnational Elder Fraud Task Force, success in returning money to victims and efforts to combat grandparent scams.
The Department announced that as part of its continuing efforts to protect older adults and bring perpetrators of fraud schemes to justice it is expanding the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, adding 14 new U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Expansion of the Strike Force will help to coordinate the Department’s ongoing efforts to combat largest and most harmful fraud schemes that target or disproportionately impact older adults.
In the past year, the Department has notified over 550,000 people that they may be eligible for remission payments. Notifications were made to consumers whose information was sold by one of three data companies prosecuted by the Department and were later victims of “sweepstakes” or “astrology” solicitations that falsely promised prizes or individualized services in return for a fee. More than 150,000 of those victims cashed checks totaling $52 million, and thousands more are eligible to receive checks. Also notified were consumers who paid fraudsters perpetrating person-in-need scams and job scams via Western Union. In the past year, the Department has identified and contacted over 300,000 consumers who may be eligible for remission. Since March of 2020 more than 148,000 victims have received more than $366 million as a result of a 2017 criminal resolution with Western Union for the company’s willful failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and its aiding and abetting of wire fraud.
Over the past year, the Department pursued cases against the perpetrators of “grandparent scams,” otherwise known as “person-in-need scams.” These scams typically begin when a fraudster, often based overseas, contacts an older adult and poses as either a grandchild, other family member or someone calling on behalf of a family member. Call recipients are told that their family member is in jeopardy and is urgently in need of money. When recently sentencing one of eight perpetrators of a grandparent scam indicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal judge described such scams “heartbreakingly evil.” The Department is working with government partners and others to raise awareness about these schemes.
Reporting from consumers about fraud and fraud attempts is critical to law enforcements efforts to investigate and prosecute schemes targeting older adults. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professional who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting or connect them with agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Central. English, Spanish and other languages are available. More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Some of the cases that comprise today’s announcement are charges, which are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Solicitation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Thursday sentenced a registered sex offender who tried to obtain nude photos of a 6-year-old girl to 15 years in prison.
On April 9, 2022, the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office was notified that William C. Dickhans, 39, was using a borrowed cell phone for illegal activity. Dickhans told deputies that he’d met someone in a chat room who purportedly was the mother of a 6-year-old. In conversations on April 6 and April 7, Dickhans sent pictures of his genitals to the girl and requested pictures of her. Dickhans also admitted to deputies that he was using the chat room to try and find young children.
Dickhans pleaded guilty June 23 to a charge of solicitation of child pornography.
In 2005, Dickhans was sentenced to 70 months in prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court to receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography and two counts of transportation of child pornography.
The FBI and Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Costantin 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.
Fourth Defendant Sentenced in Farmington Tax Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday ordered the fourth of four defendants involved in a tax fraud conspiracy to pay $26,558 to the IRS.
Tammy Flanagan, 56, was also sentenced to five years of probation.
All four defendants pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and admitted participating in a scheme to underreport money paid to contractors who performed work at apartment complexes.
Patricia Jane Tucker, 73, of Fredericktown, was the manager of the MACO Management Company office in Farmington, Missouri, and Flanagan, Robin McWilliams, 53, and Billie McFadden,46, of Fredericktown, were property managers. All were responsible for hiring contractors to work on the properties. They hired their spouses as contractors, then manipulated computer records to prevent the submission of 1099 forms to the IRS that would have reflected the money paid to those contractors.
McWilliams triggered a failure to report about $398,250 in taxable income in 2013 and 2014, resulting in a $124,175 in tax loss to the IRS.
Flanagan failed to report about $41,770 in taxable income in 2013 and $39,640 in 2014, causing a tax loss of $26,558.
McFadden caused the failure to report $28,442 in 2013 and $19,194 in 2014 for a total tax loss of $46,636.
On Sept. 20, Judge White sentenced Robin McWilliams to four years of probation and ordered her to repay $124,175. In July, Patricia Jane Tucker was placed on probation for four years and ordered to repay $357,917. In March, Billie McFadden also received four years of probation and was ordered to repay $47,636.
“Tax evasion is not a victimless crime. When people scheme to evade paying taxes, it’s local communities and honest taxpayers who end up paying,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge, Charles Miller, St. Louis Field Office. “Ms. Flanagan and her co-conspirators knowingly took part in a scheme to cheat the IRS. We take such violations of the nation’s tax laws very seriously.”
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
Former youth pastor sentenced to 13+ years for sexual abuse of Missouri teenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a former youth pastor from New York to 13 years and four months in prison for the sexual abuse of a Missouri 15-year-old in 2013.
Judge White also ordered Jesse E. Vargas, 38, to pay $146,594 in restitution to his victim.
Vargas originally met the then 11-year-old girl at a religious camp in Michigan where he worked.
“Over the course of the next four years Jesse played with my family and I like frogs in a pot,” the victim said in court during Thursday’s hearing. “Slowly increasing the temperature of his manipulation until we each were unaware of the water we had been submerged in, let alone its suddenly scalding temperature. By age thirteen I abandoned most of my spiritual leaders and friendships at his suggestion. By fourteen he even guided me to push away my two closest friends,” she said.
In January of 2013, Vargas traveled from New York to the St. Louis area home of the teen. He stayed in her family’s house and preached a sermon at her church. During the visit, he also sexually abused her.
“I was assured by him throughout my formative young teenage years that ‘The World’ wouldn’t understand the illicit affair of ours he was suggesting, but God had provided us a path that we should follow together in secret. Tell no one. Trust no one else,” the victim said.
He returned in March of 2013 and abused her again. In June of that year, he arranged for her to travel to New York, where he abused her again. He exchanged images and videos containing nude images with the teen via social media apps and text messages.
The victim also spoke about the effects of Vargas’ abuse, including PTSD. “As a lifelong honors student with high career hopes entering high school, I instead dropped out because I was simply too exhausted to care about anything.”
Vargas, of Nassau County, pleaded guilty March 22 to two felony counts: travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual contact and coercion and enticement of a minor.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Hazelwood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
“The way Jesse Vargas used the guise of spiritual instruction is repugnant. He manipulated not only his victim, but the adults who tried to protect her,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI St. Louis Division. “I commend the victim’s bravery for coming forward, in spite of having to relive her trauma, to prevent others from becoming a victim.”
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.
Franklin County Woman Admits Committing Pandemic Loan Fraud While Charged in Unrelated $727,000 EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Franklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted fraudulently applying for three Paycheck Protection Program loans while being prosecuted on an unrelated $727,000 embezzlement case.
On Aug. 3, 2020, Christen Diane Schulte pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. She admitted embezzling funds from her employer and other individuals and entities associated with her employer. She then sought a series of delays in her sentencing.
On Wednesday, Schulte, 36, admitted that between March 22, 2021 and May 19, 2021, while awaiting that sentencing, she fraudulently applied for three PPP loans, designed to help save small businesses and jobs from economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schulte admitted lying on the loans when asked if she was facing or had been convicted of a felony, and when asked the same question about a felony involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement or a false statement in an application for a loan or for federal assistance.
She also lied about the gross income for the company, the “Mama Bear Cake Company.”
One application for a $13,691 loan was rejected due to her criminal history. A $13,566 loan was approved by a different financial institution. She then sought and received a “second draw” of $13,566 from that company, receiving the money on May 19, 2021.
Eight days later, Schulte was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison and ordered to pay $517,140 in the embezzlement case. She began serving that sentence on Aug. 30, 2021.
Schulte was indicted in the new case on Nov. 10, 2021. On Wednesday Schulte pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to three more counts of bank fraud.
She is scheduled to be sentenced December 28 and could face up to 30 years in prison on each count. She faces an additional penalty of up to ten years for committing her crimes while on pre-trial release in the embezzlement case.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Who Stole Nearly $600,000 from the Home Depot Sentenced to 9 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Vinita Park, Missouri who stole nearly $600,000 in items from The Home Depot and then returned them for gift cards was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White also ordered Xavier Brown, 46, to repay the retailer $598,036.
Brown, who also goes by Xaiviar Brown, was convicted by a jury in May of four counts of wire fraud and one count of unauthorized use of an access device.
From 2017 to 2021, Brown stole from Home Depot stores and then made more than 1,900 returns of that merchandise across 20 states, using more than 1,700 different temporary drivers licenses to conceal his scheme. Brown, having no receipts, was given store credit or gift cards.
“There’s a reason that the saying ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ has stood the test of time. Xavier Brown hid his scheme by defrauding Home Depot in different states until it caught up to him,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI St. Louis Division. “As soon as Home Depot detected Brown’s suspicious activities, the business contacted the FBI which resulted in today’s nine-year sentence in federal prison.”
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
St. Charles Woman Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for $2.5 Million Missouri Medicaid FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a woman from St. Charles to four years and nine months in prison for her role in a $2.5 million fraud involving Missouri’s Medicaid program and a nearly $60,000 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan.
Judge Clark also ordered Barbara Martin, 63, to repay $2,566,989 to Missouri’s Medicaid program and $58,295 to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Martin pleaded guilty on June 28 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and bank fraud conspiracy. She admitted being the administrator for Legacy Consumer Directed Services, a business that fraudulently enrolled in 2013 in the Missouri Medicaid program to provide personal care services. Martin falsely listed the name of her daughter, Zamika Walls, on the application to conceal her own role and the role of her sister, Margo Taylor, as the people who ran the day-to-day operations of the company. Walls was listed as the director of the company but was not involved in its operation.
Had Martin listed her name or Taylor’s, the application would not have been approved as they did not meet the enrollment criteria. On the application, Martin falsely checked “no” in response to the question asking whether the applying provider had ever been convicted of a crime.
Legacy billed the Missouri Medicaid program a total of over $2.5 million between May 2014 and September 2020. Some of that money was for care that was never provided, as Martin, Walls and another child of Martin not named in court documents were out of town on trips to Miami, Las Vegas or Atlanta when Martin claimed they were providing personal care services for Medicaid clients and Walls lived in Atlanta.
Arvids Petersons, director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, told Judge Clark during the hearing that Martin actively subverted controls designed to prevent fraud. Peterson said $2.5 million would provide personal care services that could keep more than 200 people in their homes instead of skilled nursing facilities.
Martin and Walls also conspired to submit a fraudulent loan application to the Paycheck Protection Program, a COVID-19 pandemic-era program designed to help save small businesses and jobs, on behalf of Legacy. Martin lied when she claimed the loan would be used to pay salaries, mortgage or lease payments and utility bills. In support of the application, Martin submitted fake payroll data and eventually received a $58,295 loan. After Legacy ceased operations, Martin submitted a fraudulent application seeking forgiveness of the loan, falsely claiming the loan money had been used for authorized purposes.
Zamika Walls, 38, was sentenced September 21 to 15 months in prison and ordered to repay $127,491. She pleaded guilty June 16 to the same charges as her mother.
Taylor, 66, pleaded guilty July 11 to two counts of health care fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced October 19.
"Defrauding Medicaid diverts valuable resources from beneficiaries and undermines the integrity of federal health care programs," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “We work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to pursue fraudsters and ensure the appropriate use of U.S. taxpayer dollars."
The U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Reiter is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Sex Offender Admits Second Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Manchester, Missouri who had previously been convicted of a charge of possession of child pornography admitted on Monday being caught again with child sexual abuse material.
Eric D. Goodwin, now 41, was sentenced in 2020 to two years in prison and a life term of supervised release. In June of 2022, while Goodwin was on house arrest after his release from prison, a U.S. probation officer doing a home visit discovered that Goodwin had access to a room with computers and electronic devices. Goodwin then admitted possessing an iPhone, a tablet computer and a USB drive containing at least 882 images and 624 videos of child sexual abuse that he found using the Telegram app and on the dark web.
Goodwin was also sharing child pornography with someone via SnapChat, his plea agreement says.
Goodwin, by pleading guilty to a charge of possession of child pornography as a prior offender, now faces 10 to 20 years in prison when sentenced Jan. 4, 2023. Both prosecutors and Goodwin's attorney agreed as part of the plea to recommend a ten-year term. He was taken into custody at the end of Monday’s plea hearing.
The U.S. Probation Office and the FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.