Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Eight Arrested, Accused of Drug, Gun Conspiracy and Illegal Re-Entry Charges in Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Eight people, including six who entered the country illegally, were arrested Wednesday on charges including trafficking in firearms and cocaine.
The eight are:
• Ivan Said Henriquez-Corea, 34, of St. Louis.
• Jose Edwardo Maldonado-Vargas, 21, a.k.a. Oscar Rodriguez-Lopez, of St. Louis County.
• Manuel DeJesus Hernandez-Maldonado, 47, of St. Louis.
• Heber Marcelino Figueroa-Bardales, 27, of St. Louis.
• Edgar Cruz-Ramirez, 36, of St. Louis County.
• Thomas Allen Hull, 37, of Eureka.
• Maria Amabil Hernandez, 49, of St. Louis.
• Joan Hurtado-Jimenez, 31, of Maryland Heights.Henriquez-Corea, Maldonado-Vargas, Hernandez-Maldonado and Hernandez face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine and multiple counts of distributing cocaine. Henriquez-Corea, Cruz-Ramirez, Figueroa-Bardales and Hull are accused in the indictment of one count of conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms and one count of conspiracy to purchase firearms for illegal aliens. Henriquez-Corea and Figueroa-Bardales face charges of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and Maldonado-Vargas has been charged with possession of a short-barreled rifle. Figueroa-Bardales and Hurtado-Jimenez each face one count of illegal re-entry to the United States.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of seven pistols and five AR-style firearms that were seized during the investigation.
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.
A motion seeking to have Henriquez-Corea held in jail until trial says that the sale of cocaine and at least six firearms transactions between late 2025 and March were monitored and/or recorded by the FBI. Some of the gun sales involved AR-style pistols with high-capacity magazines. Cruz-Ramirez obtained guns from a straw purchaser and sold them to a co-conspirator who is in the country illegally, who sold them to others, his detention motion says. Henriquez-Corea, Hernandez-Maldonado, Hernandez, Figueroa-Bardales and Cruz-Ramirez are originally from Honduras and entered the country illegally, detention motions say. Maldonado-Vargas is also from Honduras but is a lawful permanent resident. Jimenez is from Mexico and is in the country illegally.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF St. Louis comprises agents and officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Untied States Marshal Service (USMS); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Former St. Louis Alderman Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Fraud, Lying to the FBIRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley to 16 months in prison for insurance fraud and lying to the FBI.
Bosley will be on supervised release for three years after his release from prison. Judge Autrey also ordered Bosley to pay restitution of $6,253.90 to the insurance company that he defrauded.
Bosley, 38, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January of three felony wire fraud charges and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. Evidence and testimony at trial showed that after an auto accident, Bosley hatched a scheme to defraud an insurance company by falsely inflating the cost of needed repairs and then lied when FBI agents asked him about it.
In September of 2021, Bosley’s 2010 Toyota Prius, which was parked, was hit by another vehicle. The drivers’ insurance company contacted Bosley in February of 2022 and told him that they would pay for the damage. Bosley then asked the auto repair shop owner who had sold him the used Prius for the deeply discounted price of $500 to prepare and submit an inflated repair estimate in exchange for a bribe, evidence and testimony showed. “Mark that (expletive) all the way up,” Bosley told the business owner during the conversation, which was captured on audio and video. Bosley also had discussions with the business owner about buying the car back if it was totaled and then paying the estimated repair costs of $2,000 to $2,200, thus retaining the car while fraudulently netting thousands of dollars, evidence and testimony showed.
After the insurance company balked at a $6,800 repair estimate, Bosley caused a second estimate of $4,333 to be submitted, the trial showed. The insurance company ultimately totaled the car and paid Bosley $7,978.90. At the time, he had $14.93 in his bank account. He lived off the insurance proceeds for about six weeks.
When FBI agents interviewed Bosley in the presence of his lawyer in March of 2023, Bosley repeatedly lied, jurors found during the trial. He falsely stated to agents that he never saw the two fraudulent repair bills that were prepared. He falsely claimed the repair estimates were not inflated and denied asking the business owner to inflate the repair estimates.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memo that “this criminal scheme was instigated, planned, designed, and carried out by Defendant once he was advised by the insurance carrier that there was money to be had for repairs to the damaged Prius automobile. From his very first conversation with the auto repair shop owner, without any idea of the extent of the necessary repairs, Defendant indicated that he wanted the Prius considered a total loss.” Bosley “used his position as an elected official in discussions with representatives of the insurance company, presumably to influence their decision on his claim,” the memo says. During the sentencing hearing, in requesting a sentence of imprisonment, Goldsmith advised the Court that, “the public is frustrated and fed up with these ticky-tacky fraud and bribery schemes committed by their elected officials,” “the public deserves some sense of justice here, and only a fair and just punishment will achieve that.”
The government’s sentencing memo also cites Missouri Ethics Commission findings from December that concluded that Bosley failed to report hundreds of improper expenditures for personal expenses, including gas, groceries and meals, made from two separate campaign accounts, at the time he was engaged in this insurance fraud. In recordings made by the business owner, Bosley also showed himself to be a racist and an antisemite, the memo adds.
“A federal jury unanimously agreed the evidence proved Brandon Bosley committed fraud. He initiated the scheme to bilk his auto insurance company. He directed the auto shop owner to inflate the cost to repair his car,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “In addition, Bosley used his position and made it clear to the insurance company that he is an elected official.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.
Former Missouri State Trooper Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Searching Women’s Phones for Nude ImagesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper to 21 months in prison for searching women’s cell phones for nude images during traffic stops.
David McKnight, 40, unlawfully searched the cell phones of nine women without a warrant or probable cause from Sept. 12, 2023, to July 30, 2024, to find nude images of the victims or their loved ones. He was on duty, in uniform and in a marked Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) vehicle at the time. He used his own cell phone to take photographs of images he found in the phones of seven victims. In all but one of the cases, McKnight took the victims’ phones back to his vehicle, falsely claiming that he needed to confirm their identification, insurance coverage or other information. In the remaining case, McKnight searched the phone of a woman that he arrested and took a photo of one of her images.
After two victims became suspicious of his actions, they reported him to the MSHP. Forensic analysis revealed that McKnight had searched through their phones, including folders that contained nude photographs of them. Subsequent investigation revealed the other victims. McKnight had deleted the photos, but they were recovered from his phone.
McKnight’s “conduct in this case was inexcusable and demands a sentence of incarceration,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug wrote in a sentencing memo.
McKnight pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in December to nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.
Illinois Man Admits Carjacking, Shooting in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Venice, Illinois on Friday admitted helping carjack one man in St. Louis in 2024 and shooting at another.
Harry Moore, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of carjacking and one felony count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. He admitted driving a Cadillac that had been stolen in Belleville, Illinois to the 2900 block of Minnesota Avenue in St. Louis on Sept. 4, 2024. Two armed people were in the car, including a juvenile. They got out and demanded the wallet, iPhone and keys from the driver of a Subaru Outback at gunpoint. Moore, who was also armed, got out and demanded that the victim unlock his phone and provide his debit card PIN.
Moore then drove to a gas station, followed by his accomplices, and used the victim’s debit card to withdraw more than $200 from an ATM. He also transferred $200 to someone via Cash App using the victim’s phone.
About an hour later, Moore was in the front passenger seat of the Outback when he spotted someone from a rival group walking near Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis. Moore fired multiple rounds from a .45-caliber handgun as his target fled into a parking garage. Later that day, investigators found the juvenile and the stolen Outback in East St. Louis.
On Oct. 10, 2024, Moore was arrested inside a home in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. Investigators found three firearms there, including the Glock used in the shooting.
Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27. The carjacking charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The brandishing charge is punishable by at least seven years in prison, consecutive to the sentence he receives for the carjacking charge.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and the St. Clair County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
St. Louis Nonprofit Executive Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $2.3 Million Dollar Student Meal FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced the woman who fraudulently obtained $2.3 million in funds intended to feed hungry Missouri children to 41 months in prison.
Judge Sippel also ordered Cymone McClellan, 33, of St. Louis, to forfeit the vehicles and real estate that she spent meal money to buy and pay back the rest of the money that she obtained.
McClellan operated a nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.), that submitted false and fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services from about January 2019 to June 2022. Terra Davis, now 44, was McClellan’s second-in-command at S.O.L.R. and aided in the scheme.
At the start of McClellan’s enrollment with the state program in 2019, she submitted fraudulent management plans falsely claiming that her finance director, who was not truly a signor on S.O.L.R.’s account, would sign all checks and provide financial oversight. “These lies demonstrate that Defendant McClellan made a calculated effort from the beginning of her participation in the state’s meal program to enrich herself at the expense of hungry children in our community,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman says.
McClellan and Davis submitted false reimbursement claims for a total of 860,876 meals that they purportedly supplied to Missouri children but S.O.L.R. only purchased enough food and milk to serve fewer than a quarter of those meals. McClellan also provided dozens of bogus attendance sheets to DHSS to bolster her false claims.
McClellan’s fraud spiked after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the state from conducting regular in-person audits—and after the state allowed non-profits to run drive-thru meal services, the sentencing memo says.
S.O.L.R. submitted management plans to DHSS falsely asserting that state meal reimbursement dollars were spent only in connection with the provision of meals to low-income children, and that the nonprofit did not use meal money to make purchases over $5,000. McClellan spent $60,000 for the down payment on a house in Collinsville, Illinois and another $86,172 on a house in Florissant, Missouri. She spent almost $135,000 in student meal money more to buy five vehicles: a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a 2012 Chevrolet Express G3500 van, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, a 2012 Ford E350 box truck and a 2018 Lexus RX SUV.
“Cymone McClellan caused lasting damage to the program meant to feed hungry Missouri children, not only by stealing $2.3 million that should have gone to student meals but by diminishing public support and increasing cynicism through her corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus.
“Fraud targeting programs designed to feed children is particularly egregious,” said Inspector General John Walk for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. “This non-profit owner exploited a USDA program meant to feed low-income children during the coronavirus pandemic by submitting $2.3 million in reimbursement claims for providing meals the organization never served. Instead, the defendant lived lavishly off tax-payer dollars by spending the funds on two homes and five vehicles. Stealing from an emergency relief program meant to provide food to needy children for personal gain is depraved. This guilty plea reflects USDA OIG’s commitment to aggressively pursue those who commit fraud against USDA nutrition programs. I commend SAC Matthew Wilkins for his work on this investigation and thank the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration in holding the defendant accountable.”
“For the second time in as many months, we are holding accountable individuals who exploited programs meant to feed children for their own personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Cymone McClellan diverted approximately 75% of the taxpayer funds entrusted to her nonprofit over a three-year period. While children in the St. Louis area went without meals, she used those funds to pay for homes, vehicles, and luxury items. Let this case serve as a clear warning: those who steal from programs designed to serve our most vulnerable will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice.”
McClellan pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.Judge Sippel sentenced Davis, who also pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, to five years of probation in June of 2025 and ordered her to repay $2.3 million.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Former Velda City Police Chief / City Administrator Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Stealing $307,100 in City FundsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Thursday sentenced the former police chief and city administrator of Velda City, Missouri to 27 months in prison for stealing $307,100 in city funds.
Judge Stevens also ordered Daniel Paulino, 52, to repay $248,929 to the city, as some of the money was recovered.
Paulino was appointed to the city administrator position in 2021. He was police chief until the department was dissolved in 2024, earning a salary of approximately $95,000 for the dual role. During an almost four-year period from 2021 to 2024, Paulino stole from the city in multiple ways:
- Paulino caused three city checks totaling $1,800 to be fraudulently issued to him.
- Paulino caused about 20 direct deposits totaling $30,667 in city funds, purportedly for additional payroll, to be deposited into his personal bank account without the knowledge or approval of other city officials.
- On 17 occasions, Paulino used a city credit card to transfer a total of $37,500 in city funds to two businesses owned by Paulino and his spouse.
- He caused about 55 direct deposits of $54,693 in Velda City funds, purportedly for his spouse’s payroll, to be sent to his personal bank account.
- Paulino used a city credit card, city checks and ACH transactions to pay for his personal expenses, including a $25,500 check for a 2007 International tow truck that he used in his private towing business.
Paulino admitted using the money for travel, automobiles, pool supplies, utilities at his personal residence and food and beverage charges.
“The City’s police chief, sworn to serve the citizens and the community, turned out to be a thief, stealing from the very community and people he was charged with protecting,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said in court. “While receiving a generous salary and benefits in his two city positions,” Paulino took advantage of those positions and defrauded a city where the “estimated 1,250 residents have a median household income which is 30% lower than the State of Missouri," he wrote in a sentencing memo.
In a victim impact statement, Velda City Mayor Derrick Gill wrote that Paulino was “the most powerful appointed official in our local government” with “unchecked access to virtually every aspect of City government.” The losses caused by Paulino were “devastating,” Gill wrote, and destroyed citizens’ trust in city officials and city employees’ morale. He created a hostile work environment for police officers while “depleting the funds needed to properly staff and equip the department,” triggering the department’s abrupt dissolution, he wrote.
“Daniel Paulino didn’t mastermind a sophisticated scheme; he abused the trust placed in him and exploited a lack of oversight. As the city’s financial gatekeeper, he used taxpayer funds for personal expenses, including vacations, vehicles, and even repairs to his swimming pool,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “He stole from a community where one in five residents lives below the poverty line. The people of Velda City deserve accountability and a system that prevents this kind of corruption from happening again.”
Paulino pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to two counts of wire fraud.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
Five Admit Role in St. Louis Area Mail TheftRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five people have admitted involvement in the theft of mail from St. Louis area collection boxes.
Roderick Orlandez Walker, 26, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to one count of conspiracy, two counts of mail theft and one count of possession of stolen mail. He admitted involvement in the purchase of an arrow key from a mail carrier in the Marine Villa neighborhood in south St. Louis on July 20, 2023. Arrow keys are used to unlock mail collection boxes. Investigators traced the car the group was driving to a rental car company and learned that Marissa Diane Worthen and Walker rented it. Walker was armed at the time of the car rental. Evidence showed that Worthen, Walker and Yahtis Niquae Bailey were present at the arrow key purchase.
Walker also admitted being present when mail was stolen from a collection box in Ladue, Missouri on July 25, 2023. On Oct. 12, 2023, he used an arrow key to steal mail from a collection box in Frontenac, Missouri.
U.S. Postal Inspectors tracked the vehicle used by Walker and others to an Airbnb in the 5500 block of Chippewa Street in St. Louis, then followed the vehicle to a restaurant. Walker, Tommy Earl Kilbert and another person were in the car, where they also found an arrow key that had been reported lost by the Jennings, Missouri Post Office between June and July of 2023.
A subsequent court-approved search of the Airbnb found checks that had been stolen from the mail in various locations, a book of blank business-style checks and Walker’s laptop, which contained check-writing software and messages about altering checks. Forensic examinations of the laptop and multiple cell phones used by the group revealed hundreds of images of checks believed to have been stolen from the mail. The total face value of the checks exceeded $2.2 million. Two company checks stolen from the mail in Brentwood were altered to be payable to two people in Florida and were cashed, costing the company $38,576.
Walker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21. He faces up to five years in prison for each count and will be ordered to pay restitution.
Worthen, 38, of Atlanta, was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and stealing keys adopted by the Post Office. Bailey, 26, of the Atlanta suburbs, was sentenced to 15 months on charges of conspiracy, stealing keys adopted by the Post Office and mail theft. Roderick Henry Gaines, Jr., 24, also of the Atlanta suburbs, was sentenced to 12 months and a day on the conspiracy charge. All three were ordered to pay restitution of $5,680
Kilbert, 27, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 12 months and a day for conspiracy, stealing keys adopted by the Post Office, possession of stolen mail and mail theft. His restitution is $39,786.
This U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Frontenac Police Department and the Ladue Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie Scheider and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Columbia, Missouri Doctor Arrested, Accused of Health Care Fraud, Illegally Prescribing DrugsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A medical doctor and owner of an urgent care clinic in Columbia, Missouri was arrested Wednesday on an indictment that accuses him of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid and providing prescription drugs to friends, people suffering from substance use disorders and those with whom he had sexual relationships.
Dr. Jonathan Wayne Morris, 46, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 8, 2026, with 15 counts of illegal prescribing of controlled substances and 23 counts of health care fraud. Dr. Morris has owned Columbia Urgent Care since at least 2019. From at least May 1, 2019, through April 8, 2025, Dr. Morris caused Medicare and Medicaid to be billed for medical services as if they had been provided by him instead of the assistant physicians (APs) that he employs, the indictment says. APs are medical school graduates who have not entered a residency program and therefore require training and supervision by a fully licensed physician. Rather than teaching the APs, Morris allowed the APs to train each other, the indictment says. He left the APs unsupervised when he left the clinic for domestic and international travel, and to work at a different clinic in St. Louis, it says.
The indictment also accuses Dr. Morris of issuing controlled substance prescriptions outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose to friends, associates, those with substance use disorders and those with whom he had sexual relationships. In some cases, Dr. Morris accepted cash for controlled substances or prescribed them for individuals on whom he made sexual advances (sometimes accepted and sometimes unwelcomed), it says. He also prescribed controlled substances to individuals to whom he offered cocaine and other drugs, it says.
Finally, the indictment accuses Dr. Morris of submitting false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement to the Medicare and Missouri Medicaid programs for controlled substance prescriptions that were issued outside the scope of professional practice and to further his personal relationships and/or increase the number of patients at his clinic.
A motion seeking to have Dr. Morris held in jail until trial says investigators are currently aware of about 20 individuals who received prescriptions for a total of over 15,000 individual dosage units of controlled substances from Morris despite the existence of substance use issues, sexual relations with Morris, or both. The motion says the lack of training of the APs rendered the Columbia clinic a “free-for-all when it comes to issuing prescriptions for controlled substances.” The motion says “evidence supports that Morris, who still has an active DEA registration, is continuing to operate his clinic in this manner.”
The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Three St. Louis Area Residents Admit Selling Fentanyl, Other Drugs via Social MediaRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three St. Louis area residents have admitted selling fentanyl and other drugs via social media, including drugs that caused one fatal and one nonfatal overdose.
Aeman Ali, 23, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to aiding and abetting the maintaining of a drug-involved premises.
Zaki Salman, 23, of Hazelwood, pleaded guilty in February to one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, maintaining a drug-involved premises and distribution of fentanyl with a serious bodily injury resulting.
Haeder Jameel, 23, pleaded guilty in March to one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, maintaining a drug-involved premises and possession with the intent to distribute MDMA and fentanyl.
According to the plea agreements, Salman rented a home in the 4400 block of Ohio Street in St. Louis that was used for selling drugs from August 20, 2022, through Dec. 14, 2022. Salman and Jameel bought drugs in California, the plea agreements say. Salman advertised the drugs on social media and would “direct” the drugs sales, his plea says. The men sold real Percocet pain pills and fake pills that contained fentanyl. When Salman was not present, Jameel or Ali would handle the transactions. When law enforcement officers conducted a court-approved search of the home on Dec. 14, 2022, they recovered cocaine, MDMA, fentanyl, amphetamine and prescription pills.
Salman and Jameel admitted that Salman delivered drugs to a minor on Sept. 18, 2022, who believed she was buying the prescription drug Percocet. The minor overdosed but was saved by multiple doses of Narcan. Salman and Jameel also admitted that the fentanyl purchased by another teen at the Ohio Street residence on Nov. 19, 2022, resulted in the teen’s overdose death. Before his death, the teen exchanged messages with the conspirators regarding the purchase of Xanax and Percocet, Salman and Jameel's plea agreements say.
Ali is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, Salman on May 18 and Jameel on June 18. Each count carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Florissant Police Department, the O’Fallon, Missouri Police Department and the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Threatening Social Security Administration Employees by PhoneRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Wayne County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted threatening employees of the Social Security Administration twice in 2025.
Timothy Wells Stevens, 57, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce. On Oct. 1, 2025, Stevens was talking to an SSA employee in Pennsylvania and was told that there was no record showing that he was due payments. Stevens said, that if he did not receive payments, “I’m commin’ gunning’ for you all,” his plea agreement says. The employee told Stevens that the SSA takes all threats seriously, and he responded “No, I am going gunnin’ trust me, and I’m going to blow up every (expletive) office around here.”
About 30 minutes later Stevens called again and reached an SSA employee in California. During that call, he said, “Cause I’m telling you now, if I have to sell my place I’ve owned for 17 years and go live under a bridge, I’m hunting every last one of you (expletives) down and I’m gonna blow you up,” his plea agreement says.
On Oct. 9, 2025, investigators interviewed Stevens, who confirmed that it was his voice on the recorded call with the California employee.
Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine.
The Federal Protective Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
Sex Offender Caught with Child Pornography at Halfway House Sentenced to More than 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Monday sentenced Leslie B. Clark, 60, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to 141 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to the offense of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, Clark has a prior 2017 federal conviction for possessing child pornography. In May 2025, Clark was temporarily residing at a halfway house in Neelyville, Missouri following his release from federal prison. During that timeframe, investigators discovered that someone within the facility was uploading child sexual abuse material through a social media messaging service. Investigators subsequently traced the account to Clark. As Clark was set to begin his term of supervised release, his assigned probation officer seized his cell phone and discovered several videos containing child pornography. At his guilty plea hearing in January, Clark admitted that he used his cell phone to obtain the videos.
After serving his 141-month sentence, Clark will be placed on a lifetime term of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office, the Southeast Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Poplar Bluff Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Three Accused of More than $2 Million Fraud Targeting Cruise LineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three people have been accused of defrauding a cruise ship company out of more than $2 million.
Thomas Markwell, 53, and Nathan Boyd, 50, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Joanna Dettman, 50, of St. Louis was indicted on the wire fraud charges.
Markwell, originally from near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, appeared in court Friday. A motion seeking to have Markwell held in jail until trial says he was fired by the cruise line in September of 2023. According to the motion, Markwell was in Argentina when his indictment was filed, did not return as scheduled and was planning to marry an Argentinian citizen. Markwell was arrested in Argentina on an Interpol Red Notice on Feb. 23. Markwell agreed to waive extradition and was surrendered to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and yesterday’s extradition of Markwell.
Dettman appeared in court in October and Boyd, of Deschutes County, Oregon, appeared in November. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The indictment says that from June 2021 to September 2023, Markwell misused his position as senior director of events at the cruise line company. Markwell approved numerous fraudulent invoices totaling more than $1 million from a company in the St. Louis area that assists corporate clients with procuring gifts for their employees, customers and business partners, the indictment says. Boyd co-owned the gifting company and Dettman, also known as Joanna St. Gemme, worked for them as a contractor. Boyd and Dettman either inflated legitimate invoices or created fictitious invoices, some of which contained the personal expenses of Markwell, Dettman, Boyd or Markwell’s romantic partners. They also issued numerous fraudulent invoices to the cruise line that included their personal expenses and the personal expenses of Markwell’s romantic partners that had been charged to the gifting company's corporate credit cards.
Dettman also owned GEM Consulting LLC, which issued $100,000 in fraudulent invoices to the cruise line, the indictment says. Markwell approved GEM as a vendor and approved a fictitious business that was associated with one of his romantic partners, which then billed the cruise line $500,000, the indictment says.
The indictment says that Markwell issued fraudulent invoices totaling $180,000 to the gifting company from a fictitious business associated with another of his romantic partners to get his share of the proceeds.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Six St. Louis Area Residents Accused of $8.3 Million Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Six St. Louis area residents have been accused of involvement in a $8.3 million pandemic fraud. Three were arrested Friday.
Raymond Porter Jr., 64, of St. Louis, was indicted Wednesday with 28 felonies: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and four counts of money laundering. David Holmon, 54, of Olivette, was indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of money laundering. Monica Butler, 59, of St. Louis, was indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering. Dana Kelly, 47, and Alexander Sampson, 39, both of St. Louis, were indicted on one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Latrice Davis, 40, of St. Charles County, now faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Porter, Holmon and Davis were arrested Friday and appeared in court.
The indictment accuses the conspirators of submitting at least 40 fraudulent applications between March 2020 and December 2024 for Paycheck Protection Program loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans that yielded at least $8,387,593. The loans were U.S. Small Business Administration programs intended to support small businesses and their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Porter and Holmon, with Davis’s help, prepared and submitted fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications for their own businesses and for other people’s businesses, including businesses owned by Butler, Kelly and Sampson, the indictment says. In return, Porter and Holmon typically would receive 10%-20% of any approved loans, the indictment says, disguised as payments for equipment or consulting services. They would then pay Davis a portion of those fees, it says.
As part of the conspiracy, Porter, Holmon and/or Davis used the personal information of business owners to impersonate them during the loan application process, created fake websites and business email addresses if the businesses did not have them, used false or inflated financial and payroll figures, created fake financial documents, instructed the business owners to open business bank accounts to receive the loan proceeds and falsely claimed that the money would be used for approved purposes, the indictment says. Davis sometimes registered sham businesses with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office to aid the scheme, the indictment says. On multiple applications, Porter, Holmon and Davis concealed the identity of the business owners to hide it from the SBA and third-party lenders, the indictment says, such as by falsely identifying family members as the businesses’ owners.
At Porter's direction, Kelly caused falsified federal tax documents to be filed with the IRS through her tax preparation business, The Firm, for some of the businesses, the indictment says. Porter and Holmon submitted fraudulent loan forgiveness applications for some of the loans, it says.
The indictment says that Porter and Holmon directly received more than $1.4 million of loan money, plus an additional $900,000 through “preparer” fees. They also obtained more than $1 million in loan money for Butler, nearly $400,000 in loan money for Kelly and Sampson, and more than $95,000 in loan money for Davis.
The conspirators used the money to buy vehicles, make personal payments to themselves, pay personal debts and bills, fund home renovations, buy designer merchandise, and cover expenses of businesses other than the ones to which the money was lent, the indictment says.
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.
“Since 2020, IRS-Criminal Investigation has investigated thousands of instances of alleged waste, fraud and abuse of CARES Act programs,” said St. Louis Field Office Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “These programs were meant to provide economic stability to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. When someone uses fraudulent means to gain access to government funds they’re not entitled to, we take that very seriously and will investigate the allegations to the fullest extent to bring the fraudsters to justice.”
“The alleged scheme involved submitting fraudulent loan applications on behalf of others as a paid service,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The perpetrators allegedly submitted dozens of false loan documents to bilk millions of dollars from the taxpayer-funded pandemic relief programs.”
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Hiring of Eight Experienced AttorneysRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus on Thursday announced the hiring of eight experienced legal professionals, including a judge, law clerks and state prosecutors.
“I am very pleased to welcome this group of talented lawyers to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I know they are anxious to dig in and assist the great, cooperative law enforcement community in the St. Louis region,” said U.S. Attorney Albus. “The good news is that we have even more people in our hiring pipeline and anticipate adding more AUSAs and much needed support and administrative staff to our team in the coming months.”
Dereck Basinger will join the civil division. Basinger will come to the office at the completion of his clerkship to the Honorable Matthew T. Schelp, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. Basinger is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Teresa Bomkamp will join the national security unit of the criminal division. Bomkamp comes to the office from the Hesse Group. Before entering private practice, Bomkamp served as a prosecutor for more than 20 years with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Bomkamp is a graduate of St. Louis University School of Law.
Thomas Farrell will join the homeland security task force of the criminal division. Farrell will come to the office at the completion of his clerkship to the Honorable Stephen P. McGlynn, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Illinois. Farrell is a retired officer of the United States Navy. He is a graduate of Washington University School of Law.
Samuel Freedlund will join the violent crime unit of the criminal division. Freedlund comes from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office where he served as a deputy solicitor general. Freedlund is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School.
Joseph Green will join the violent crime unit of the criminal division. Green has given more than ten years of service as an Associate Circuit Judge for St Louis County. Before becoming a judge, Green had an extensive criminal practice in state and federal court. Green is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Onalee Irwin will join the civil division. Irwin joins the office from the litigation section of Armstrong Teasdale LLP in St. Louis. Irwin is a graduate of St. Louis University Law School.
Sila Karacal will join the national security unit of the criminal division. Karacal comes to the office having served more than twelve years in the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Karacal is a graduate of Syracuse University College of Law.
Jeffrey Pauck will join the homeland security task force of the criminal division. Pauck comes to the office having served more than twelve years in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Pauck is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri represent the people of the United States by investigating and prosecuting federal crimes, enforcing civil rights and remedies and protecting the interests of the United States, including representing the federal government, its agencies and employees in civil court actions and collecting judgments on debts to the federal government, including unpaid restitution and unpaid fines. The district covers 49 counties in the eastern half of the state.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Recording His Sexual Abuse of 5-Year-OldRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Thursday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of a five-year-old to 30 years in prison.
When Marshall Williams, 41, pleaded guilty in November to one count of production of child pornography, he admitted sexually abusing the victim and recording the abuse with his cell phone in March of 2024. After the victim’s aunt found the videos, she alerted the victim’s mother and they confronted Williams, who fled to Columbia, Missouri, where he was arrested.
The St. Louis Metropolitan 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.
Crawford County Man Sentenced to 170 Months in Prison for Grooming, Sex with MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man to 170 months in prison for grooming and engaging in illegal sexual contact with a minor.
Nathaniel Rod Gibson, 34, gave the victim a phone and sent her via more than 18,996 text messages from March 10, 2023, to Sept. 6, 2023, while grooming her with romantic and flirtatious statements. Gibson also told the victim to delete the messages so that her mother would not find them. In June of 2023, Gibson drove the then-13-year-old victim from Missouri to a campground in Arkansas, where he engaged in an illegal sex act with her. He also did so at his home in Crawford County.
Gibson pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Diamond City (Arkansas) 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.
Clayton Chiropractor Sentenced to 100 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a chiropractor who committed healthcare fraud and issued fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substance to 100 months in prison and ordered him to repay $4.7 million to Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare.
Jerry Dale Leech, 53, of Clayton, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2021 to one count of conspiracy, one count of obtaining controlled substances through fraud, one count of receiving illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of health care fraud. Two of his co-conspirators, Dr. Stanley L. Librach, now 65, of Chesterfield, and Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, 55, of Creve Coeur, pleaded guilty to similar charges.
In court during Wednesday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric called Leech “the ringmaster of the conspiracy.”
All three men admitted that Dr. Ali and Dr. Librach wrote prescriptions for the powerful pain medication oxycodone and other controlled substances when there was no legitimate medical purpose and while acting outside the usual course of professional practice. As Leech knew, the doctors had not examined the patients, rarely looked at their charts and should have known via drug tests that they were not taking the drugs that they were prescribed or were taking non-prescribed or illegal drugs. Leech actively encouraged the doctors to prescribe controlled substances despite the aberrant drug test results. He also exchanged fraudulent prescriptions to other conspirators for cash or other items of value. The conspirators knew that pharmacies would seek reimbursement for the medications from Medicare and Medicaid. Leech admitted responsibility for at least 94,971 oxycodone pills that had been distributed with no legitimate medical purpose.
In another scheme, they agreed to send urine samples for testing to a lab operated by Dr. Ali, Central Diagnostic Laboratory, in exchange for illegal kickbacks that went to business entities owned by Leech and another co-defendant, Denis J. Mikhlin. CDL then sought reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for the testing. CDL paid Midwest Marketing, a company run by Leech, at least $150,795 in bribes for the reimbursement CDL received from federal health care programs, which was at least $861,600.
“Jerry Leech and his co-conspirators exploited Medicare and Medicaid and put patients at risk solely for their own financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). “Even as our nation continues to address the opioid crisis, these fraudsters executed their schemes by pushing opioid medications without a legitimate medical purpose, thus siphoning critical resources from Medicare and Medicaid and undermining federal health care programs designed to protect vulnerable individuals. HHS OIG, alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue those who defraud our health care system to ensure they are held fully accountable.”
“Jerry Leech and the individuals he conspired with misled patients and in essence stole from the healthcare system,” DEA St. Louis Field Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “These acts are unacceptable. We hold practitioners to high standards for a reason and Mr. Leech took advantage of his title helping himself to profits while hurting others along the way. The DEA will not stand for these types of actions.”
Eleven defendants were indicted in 2020, including three doctors, their staff and purported patients. A twelfth was added in 2022. All have pleaded guilty.Mikhlin, 47, of Chesterfield, was sentenced in 2021 to nine years in prison and ordered to repay $181,265. Dr. Librach was sentenced in June of 2025 to 60 months in prison and ordered to repay $2.87 million. Dr. Ali was sentenced in September to 70 months in prison and ordered to repay $1.8 million.
The HHS-OIG, the DEA, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric, Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Missouri Woman Sentenced to Prison for $3.8 Million International EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Monday sentenced a woman to 90 months in prison for embezzling $3.8 million from her employer with the help of co-conspirators in China.
Judge Clark also ordered Bridget Thebeau, now 46, of St. Charles County, to repay the money. Her lawyers brought checks totaling $104,500 to court.
As part of her scheme, Thebeau struck a deal with some of her employer’s suppliers in China to inflate purchase orders in exchange for kickbacks. She altered some purchase orders and issued others that were fictitious. Between 2015 and 2023, she altered 152 purchase orders and issued 82 completely fictitious purchase orders, for a total of $3.82 million. In return, her co-conspirators wired more than half of that money to her personal bank account. When asked at sentencing to explain what she did with money, Thebeau provided what Judge Clark deemed to be incomplete and untruthful answers.
It was a crime motivated purely by greed, Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf wrote in a sentencing memo. Thebeau did not have a drug problem, financial issues or mental health problems that might have motivated her to steal from her employer. Judge Clark characterized Thebeau’s embezzlement scheme as one of the worst he’s seen during his time on the bench.
Thebeau tried to hide her crime with fraudulent shipping labels and fraudulent bills of lading issued by the China-based suppliers, fraudulent invoices that she created and claimed she had issued to the company’s customers and false information she supplied to the company’s owner and accountants. When her embezzlement was discovered, she deleted records from the company’s server, submerged her laptop in a sink full of water, tried to destroy evidence on her cell phone and deleted information that was stored in the cloud, according to testimony in Monday’s hearing.
The owner of Thebeau’s former company is no longer able to retire and has been forced to sell assets to try and keep the company afloat, the sentencing memo says.
Thebeau pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in May of 2025 to five counts of wire fraud
The U.S. Secret Service and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Two Burglaries, Gun TheftsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Monday sentenced one of the men who stole guns from two Jefferson County, Missouri businesses in 2020 to 46 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,875.
Judge Stevens ordered Jynell Edward Luss’ sentence to run consecutive to his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder in an unrelated case.
Luss, 25, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in January to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee. His co-defendant, Carnell Robinson, 24, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in November of 2023 to the same charge.
Both men admitted to breaking into a pawn shop in Imperial, Missouri on July 12, 2020, at about 1 a.m. They stole four AR-style rifles, a shotgun, ammunition and jewelry. The next day, also at 1 a.m., they broke into a gun store near Arnold and stole two rifles and numerous boxes of ammunition.
Luss pleaded guilty in St. Louis Circuit Court in 2025 and admitted fatally shooting a man five days after the second robbery and stealing the victim’s gun.
Robinson was sentenced in February 2024 to 13 months in prison for the gun thefts. He pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Circuit Court in 2023 to burglary and stealing and was sentenced to eight years in state prison.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.
United States Reaches $2.2 Million Settlement over Pandemic LoanRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri has finalized a civil settlement to resolve allegations that a Missouri manufacturer was not eligible for a $2 million pandemic-era loan, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Thursday.
As part of the settlement, VSM Abrasives Corp. will repay $2,022,250 to the United States. The amount represents a $2 million Paycheck Protection Program loan that VSM received in 2021. The loan, which was intended to save jobs and provide relief to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, was later forgiven.
The settlement resolves allegations brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Blockquote Inc. The qui tam action alleges that VSM was not eligible for the loan because although it certified that its headcount was under 300 employees, VSM and its affiliates, including its German parent company, Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG, employ more than 300.
VSM disputes the allegations. The settlement contains no admission of liability.
“We appreciate the efforts of Blockquote and other companies that are ferreting out problematic pandemic loans, as well as VSM’s cooperation,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “This settlement shows our commitment to ensure that government funds are spent appropriately.”
This civil settlement was a result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Blockquote Inc. v. VSM Abrasives Corp., Case No. 4:24-cv-00805 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Under those provisions, a private party can file a civil action on behalf of the United States, thereby bringing allegations of fraud to the Government’s attention, and share in any financial recovery. Blockquote will receive $224,694 from the settlement and Blockchain’s attorneys will receive $20,000.
Three Admit Stealing Controlled Substances from Missouri, Kansas PharmaciesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men from Texas have admitted stealing controlled substances from three pharmacies in Missouri and Kansas last year.
Erik Dewayne Lyons Jr., 21, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substance and entering a pharmacy with the intent to steal controlled substances. Jonathan Fore, 30, and Anthony Ray Venwright, 33, pleaded guilty on March 30 to the same charges.
All three admitted traveling from the Houston, Texas area to Lee’s Summit, Missouri on July 29, 2025. The next day, Lyons waited in a Toyota RAV4 nearby while Venwright and Fore broke into a pharmacy and stole drugs. They then broke into a pharmacy in Overland Park, Kansas. On July 31, 2025, they broke into a Maryland Heights pharmacy. Maryland Heights police identified the RAV4 and learned that it was in Arkansas. The Arkansas State Police stopped the RAV4 and a companion vehicle, and investigators later found two trash bags containing the drugs that the men had stolen from the third pharmacy and evidence linking them all of the burglaries.
The men admitted stealing a total of 25,610 doses of various pain pills and other controlled substances.
Lyons is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13. Both Fore and Venwright are scheduled to be sentenced on July 6. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Maryland Heights Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, the Clark County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Department, the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the Overland Park (Kansas) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Admits Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted list pleaded guilty Thursday and admitted providing sexual access to a child in exchange for cash and other items of value.
Donald Eugene Fields II, 61, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of child sex trafficking. He admitted accepting items of value from a friend and co-defendant, Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr., in exchange for access to the victim beginning when she was 14 years old. From the winter of 2013 through the summer of 2016, Sartori engaged in illegal sexual activity with the minor and provided Fields cash, a car, a motorcycle, Christmas presents and vacations. In the summer of 2016, Sartori financed a vacation to Florida and drove the victim there with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with her. Fields instructed the minor to engage in sexual activity with Satori.
Fields was indicted on Dec. 7, 2022. He was arrested on Jan. 26, 2025, after a traffic stop by police in Lady Lake, Florida, when officers learned that he was on the Most Wanted list.
Fields is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15. The crime carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, with a maximum term of life.
Sartori, now 65, is serving a 10-year prison term. He pleaded guilty in August of 2024 to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The case was investigated jointly by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis County Fossil Company Operator Accused of Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The owner of a fossil replica company was indicted Wednesday and accused of fraudulently seeking disability benefits.
Scott A. Taylor, 50, is still on probation from a prior disability fraud case. The new indictment, on one count of making a false statement, accuses him of applying for Social Security disability benefits on Jan. 28, 2026, claiming that he had not worked since 1993. The indictment says Taylor has been self-employed since 2014.
A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Taylor’s disability benefits were initially discontinued after an investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Taylor pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in September to one felony count of theft of government money. He admitted opening Taylor Made Fossils, which made fossil recreations, after having been granted disability benefits. Taylor’s plea agreement says that while he repeatedly falsely claimed to be too disabled to work or perform many normal daily activities, he carried large or heavy objects, did yard work and walked normally while unassisted. On Dec. 9, 2025, he was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to repay $106,923 to the Social Security Administration.
“Individuals who exploit disability programs for personal gain undermine critical support intended for those who truly need it,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Chancellor Melvin, SSA OIG, Chicago Field Division. “Our office remains committed to identifying and investigating fraud, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of Social Security programs and safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
Department of Justice efforts support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The core mission of the National Fraud Enforcement Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. The National Fraud Enforcement Division will fulfill that mission by coordinating with agencies responsible for administering benefit programs; partnering with federal, tribal, state, territorial, and local law enforcement on fraud-fighting efforts; developing systems and processes that ensure efficient identification of fraud against taxpayer dollars; and equipping prosecutors and law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and resources needed to bring criminal actors to justice.
The SSA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Fentanyl Dealers Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a fentanyl dealer from St. Louis to prison for 155 months in prison, days after sending a co-defendant to prison for 210 months.
Sentenced Tuesday was Toneisha D. Smith, 27, who sold fentanyl to the Drug Enforcement Administration and nearly hit three DEA task force officers with her car when they were investigating her. Trequan A. Dotson, 25, was sentenced on April 2. Three others have also been convicted.
Police responding to a violent domestic dispute at Dotson’s home in the 4600 block of Newport Avenue in St. Louis in August of 2023 found fentanyl, a money counting machine, $10,111 in cash and two AR-style rifles, one AK-style pistol and four AR-style pistols, many with large-capacity magazines. Police then found more fentanyl and drug paraphernalia at an apartment in the 2300 block of South 7th Street, which Dotson used for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. Police found more fentanyl after Dotson led them on a high-speed chase on Oct. 16, 2023.
After being jailed, Dotson told another member of the drug trafficking conspiracy to supply fentanyl to Smith and taught Smith how to mix fentanyl with cutting agents before selling it. Smith admitted that she and her co-defendants, including Larry C. Hayes III, sold fentanyl to the DEA from March to June of 2024.
During a court-approved search of Smith’s home on Miami Street in St. Louis on April 1, 2024, investigators found Smith, Hayes and Marcel Harris along with fentanyl, cash and an AR-style pistol. On June 18, 2024, investigators were preparing for another court-approved search of a residence on Sidney Street in St. Louis. Smith left the home and got into her vehicle before officers and agents arrived. When she saw task force officers approach her vehicle, she sped away, aiming her Kia K5 at three of the task force officers. The officers were able to jump out of the way. Smith drove over the parking lot curb and through an adjoining yard and trees before flattening all four tires when she drove off a small embankment. She ultimately escaped. Investigators found fentanyl, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the home. They also found a Rock River Arms AR-15 that had been stolen from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
“This investigation is a prime example of the dangers DEA personnel face on a daily basis protecting our communities from drug-related violence and the drugs that are poisoning our citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis, DEA St. Louis Division. “We remain relentless in our pursuit of drug traffickers wreaking havoc on the American people, as we work towards a Fentanyl Free America.”
Smith was charged by complaint on June 18, 2024, and investigators found her and Hayes in a home on California Avenue the next day, along with fentanyl and drug paraphernalia.
Smith pleaded guilty in December to one count each of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, assaulting or resisting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Dotson pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of fentanyl in a separate, 2023 case and admitted violating his supervised release in a 2019 case.
Hayes, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Harris, 23, of Jennings, Missouri, pleaded guilty in June to a fentanyl conspiracy charge. In addition to the conduct described above, he admitted being caught twice by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with fentanyl, including after an Aug. 10, 2023, high-speed chase. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Harris to 10 years in prison in September.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits $637,000 in Pandemic, Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County on Monday admitted committing disability fraud and pandemic loan fraud totaling $637,000.
Preston Randall, 62, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to five counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft of government property and one count of concealment from the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Randall admitted applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration for a series of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for various businesses using various names. The EIDL program was intended to support small businesses that had been negatively affected by the pandemic. On the applications, Randall falsely inflated revenue and workforce figures to get more money. Randall sought a total of $8,506,000 in loans and received $620,000.
Randall also fraudulently obtained $17,906 in Social Security disability benefits. On his application for benefits, Randall hid the fraudulent EIDL income, his ownership of five vehicles and the ownership of a $500,000 home near Florissant. Randall quitclaimed the home to a shell company to hide the home’s ownership.
Randall was indicted in May of 2024 and jailed later that year after he was accused of threatening a potential witness and placing utility bills in that man’s name without his consent.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 114 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a woman who committed an armed carjacking in St. Louis to 114 months in prison.
On the evening of March 12, 2024, in the 3400 block of Grace Avenue in St. Louis, Jonniece Wilson, now 21, of St. Louis, pointed a firearm at the driver of a Hyundai Accent and demanded the keys to the car. She then got in and drove away.
About 30 minutes later, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted the car and tried to pull it over. The vehicle sped up instead of stopping and weaved through traffic and red lights before crashing into a light pole and striking a pedestrian. Wilson, who was not driving the stolen vehicle, was arrested after fleeing on foot with a backpack containing a handgun.
Wilson pleaded guilty in October to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Sexual Assault on Grounds of Gateway Arch National ParkRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a man to 28 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in Gateway Arch National Park in 2023.
Judge Clark ordered the sentence to run consecutive to the 84 months Monte Derrell Boatman, 37, is currently serving for violating his supervised release in a 2009 armed robbery case.
On Dec. 6, 2023, Boatman, of Fairview Heights, Ill., arrived at the Laclede’s Landing MetroLink station at about 5:15 p.m. He was captured on video passing the victim near 4th Street and Washington Avenue at about 5:19 p.m. Roughly one minute later, Boatman turned and began following the victim.
At about 5:30 p.m., Boatman grabbed the victim from behind, wrapped his arms around her and forced her into the bushes with a razor to her neck. Boatman assaulted the victim while threatening her life multiple times.
Boatman was arrested two days later by rangers with the National Park Service after a struggle that resulted in one ranger needing medical treatment.
Boatman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of 2025 to one felony count of aggravated sexual abuse.
In court Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said Boatman’s 2023 crime followed a “largely unabated history of criminality since the age of 13.”
Included in that history is the 2009 robbery case in the Southern District of Illinois. Boatman and others robbed a drug dealer, which sparked a vehicle chase and multistate gun battle with the dealer. He was sentenced in 2010 to 171 months in prison.
The case was investigated by the National Park Service and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
Ohio Man Admits Sex Acts with Missouri TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Toledo, Ohio on Thursday admitted engaging in sex acts with a Missouri minor.
Andrew Raymond Crum, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of coercion or enticement of a minor. Crum admitted meeting the girl via social media in 2021, when she was 14. Crum began driving to Missouri to have sex with the girl in February of 2024, when she was 16. He also exchanged sexually explicit images and videos with the victim via Snapchat, where he used the name “Sassy Man.”
The FBI was alerted in October of 2024 about Crum’s plans to return to Missouri and then located and contacted the victim and her mother.
Crum is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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.
Farmington Man Admits Supplying Fentanyl to Man Who Died of OverdoseRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Farmington, Missouri on Thursday admitted supplying fentanyl to a man shortly before the victim's overdose death.
James B. Link, 31, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of distribution of fentanyl. He admitted that in messages with the victim on June 14, 2025, he discussed bringing fentanyl pills to the victim. Link’s vehicle was spotted leaving the victim’s home shortly before the death. The next day, investigators interviewed Link, who admitted delivering blue and yellow pills containing fentanyl to the victim shortly before he died. Investigators found those same blue and yellow pills in Link’s house.
Link is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine.
The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office, the Mineral Area Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Five Accused of Stealing $511,000 from Missouri Childcare Expansion ProgramRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five people have been indicted and accused of stealing $511,692 from a Missouri childcare expansion program and using some of the money for kickbacks, travel and luxury goods.
LaDonna P. Smith, 43, pleaded not guilty Monday to five counts of wire fraud and two counts of identity theft. Dennis L. Douglas, 40, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Deaun A. Flowers, 61, Princess T. Jones, 47, and Toi P. Jones, 65, were each indicted with one count wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. All three appeared in court last week.
The March 18, 2026, indictment says that between August 2021 and February 2023, the five took advantage of a Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education program to award Child-Care Relief Funds for the opening of new childcare facilities or the expansion of existing facilities. The CCRF funds came from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRSSA).
The indictment says Smith submitted fraudulent CCRF applications on behalf of “Little Precious Angels Childcare 2” that resulted in a total of $100,000 in payments and another application on behalf of “Little Precious Angels Childcare 3” that resulted in $127,066. Douglas fraudulently received $79,927 on behalf of “Above and Beyond Playmate Center,” the indictment says.
Smith, Flowers and Toi Jones submitted a fraudulent application on behalf of “Totta Tots Daycare” that resulted in $129,699, the indictment says, $30,000 of which went towards a kickback for Smith. After DESE demanded repayment of $100,000 for failing to spend the funds on allowable expenses within four months, Flowers wrote Toi Jones a check for $15,000 and wrote herself a $11,000 check, the indictment says. Douglas and Princess Jones fraudulently obtained about $75,000 on behalf of “Childhood Memories Daycare and Learning Center,” $20,000 of which was paid as a kickback to Douglas, the indictment says.
The defendants submitted fraudulent receipts and documentation showing that they had paid for furniture, equipment, materials, salaries and benefits, lease or rent payments, supplies and/or remodeling for a daycare, to verify that the requested CCRF money had been spent on allowable expenses related to opening or expanding a childcare facility, the indictment says. In some cases, the receipts, invoices or lease agreements were false. In others, the documents had been altered to make purchases occurring outside allowable dates eligible for reimbursement.
Smith and another person also attempted to fraudulently obtain $125,000 on behalf of “Bright Star Academy,” the indictment says.
“We take allegations of fraud involving programs meant to help Missouri’s children and families very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “We’d like anyone with concerns about public benefit programs to contact investigators so that we can ensure the integrity of these programs.”
“The federal relief funds at the center of this case are intended to support families and strengthen childcare services across Missouri, and any attempt to divert such resources through fraud is taken seriously,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer-funded programs and pursue accountability whenever federal funds are put at risk.”
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Three Accused of Defrauding the Elderly via Gold Bar ScamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three people accused of involvement in a conspiracy that stole $8 million from elderly victims have been federally charged in St. Louis and arrested.
Raj Chauhan, 33, Monarch Sachdev, 28, and Elon Harper, 27, were each indicted on Feb. 4, 2026, with one count of wire fraud. Chauhan was the final defendant to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where he pleaded not guilty Friday. All three were arrested in February outside Missouri: Harper was arrested in Maine, Sachdev in Texas and Chauhan in northern Illinois.
The indictment says co-conspirators outside of the U.S. contacted elderly victims via telephone calls and electronic messages and claimed that the victims’ financial accounts had been compromised. Victims were told to liquidate their savings and retirements funds, purchase gold bars and gold coins, and hand the gold over to “government” couriers. The indictment says Chauhan, Sachdev and Harper were couriers and Sachdev also managed the pickups of other couriers, including his co-defendants.
In one example in the indictment, Sachdev instructed Chauhan to pick up gold from an elderly resident of Cedar Hill, Missouri, who had been told that she had erroneously been sent money via PayPal and would have to pay income taxes unless she bought $200,000 in gold. Chauhan also worked as a courier in St. Louis and elsewhere, the indictment says. Harper worked as a courier in locations including Dallas and Lindale, Texas; Orrick, Mo.; Mount Pleasant, S.C.; Bonita Springs, Fla.; and Norman, Okla., the indictment says. Sachdev managed pickups in Houston; Canon City, Colo.; Quincy, Ill. and St. Louis.
Detention motions say Sachdev was personally responsible for retrieving fraud proceeds on at least 65 different occasions, resulting in losses of at least $5.4 million. He also facilitated the pickup of at least $4.2 million in fraud proceeds by others, the motion says. Harper was responsible for at least 20 pickups, it says. The call center where the scam originated is in India, the motion says.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. Restitution is mandatory.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know is 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting and provide resources and referrals. Reporting frauds can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission can also be contacted at 877-FTC-HELP and at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
Illegal Alien Admits Possessing Firearms, CocaineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An illegal immigrant from Honduras on Friday admitted being caught with guns and cocaine after nearly hitting a family in a crosswalk in St. Ann, Missouri.
Esmin Guzman-Euceda, 21, of Woodson Terrace, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. He admitted that on July 7, 2024, St. Ann Police officers spotted him speeding and driving through a pedestrian crossing zone, nearly striking a family pushing a stroller with an infant inside. After officers stopped Guzman-Euceda, they discovered that he did not have a valid drivers license and arrested him. They found $1,208 on Guzman-Euceda and two baggies of cocaine, a rifle and a pistol in the vehicle. The guns had been reported stolen, but Guzman-Euceda told officers that he did not know they were stolen when he bought them. He also admitted that he knew he could not lawfully possess firearms due to his immigration status.
The charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. Guzman-Euceda is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2.
The St. Ann Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Being Caught with MCD-Equipped Guns Three Times in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man caught three times with firearms equipped with devices that convert them into machine guns pleaded guilty Wednesday to gun charges.
Deverin Myers, 22, of University City, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a machine gun and one count of receiving a firearm while under indictment.
On Aug. 21, 2024, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives spotted Myers, who had a pistol equipped with a red machinegun conversion device (MCD) sticking out of his pocket, and other armed men in the 2900 block of James “Cool Papa” Bell Avenue. Myers was arrested and police recovered a Shadow Systems MR920 .40 S&W caliber pistol, loaded with 24 rounds of ammunition. Myers knew that he had an MCD, as he had arrested in possession of an MCD in 2023 and was charged in St. Louis Circuit Court with possession of an illegal weapon in 2024. An MCD converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm.
On Aug. 18, 2025, SLMPD officers observed a blue Audi parked in front of a vacant property in the same block of James “Cool Papa” Bell Avenue. When officers approached, the vehicle sped off, violating stop signs and traffic signals. The Audi became disabled in the 3400 block of North 22nd Street and the driver and Myers ran away. Myers discarded a micro-Draco pistol as he ran, and officers later found a Glock 19 pistol equipped with an MCD and loaded with 35 rounds of ammunition in the same location. The Draco pistol had been bought five days earlier, after Myers was indicted and arraigned on the 2024 charge.
At sentencing, Myers faces up to 10 years in prison for the machine gun charges and up to five years in prison on the other gun charge.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Woman Admits Serving as Money Mule for $2 Million Lottery ScamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri woman on Wednesday admitted acting as a money mule and receiving more than $2 million from elderly fraud victims around the country, despite repeatedly being warned by investigators and bank officials.
Sharon Dolisi, 79, of Phelps County near St. James, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. She admitted depositing cashier’s checks and personal checks from 28 victims into her personal bank accounts from about April 21, 2023, to June 11, 2025. Less than a week after her first deposit, one bank closed her account. On Oct. 28, 2024, Dolisi lied when she told law enforcement officials that she was not receiving money from or sending money to other people. Four days later, in response to an inquiry by bank representatives about three large cash withdrawals totaling $64,500, Dolisi falsely claimed that she buys and sells gold. On June 27, 2025, Dolisi told a bank representative that she immediately needed $54,000 in cash to buy gold and collectibles.
All the while, Dolisi was opening bank accounts and supplying debit cards to co-conspirators in Jamaica, who used those debit cards to withdraw money obtained through lottery frauds. Victims were contacted by phone or text and told that they had won a lottery but needed to prepay “taxes” and “fees” to “intermediates” and “merchant bankers.” If victims didn’t have enough liquid assets to pay the taxes and fees, conspirators told them to obtain reverse mortgages and home equity loans.
Dolisi admitted receiving more than $2 million from victims and moving more than $1.9 million in fraud proceeds through her account.
Dolisi is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. She will also be ordered to pay restitution.The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Former St. Louis Area Pediatrician Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Exchanging Prescriptions for Sex ActsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuersday sentenced a former St. Louis County, Missouri pediatrician to 20 years in prison for prescribing pain pills and other controlled substances in exchange for sex acts, nude photos or cash.
From at least 2014 through May of 2023, Craig A. Spiegel, now 70, exploited his position to obtain cash, sexual acts or sexual photographs from at least 19 patients, many of whom he began treating as children. Spiegel illegally distributed an “astronomical amount of drugs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric said in court. Rather than referring patients with a substance use disorder to treatment, Spiegel exploited their disease for his own gratification and prescribed dangerous combinations of addictive drugs to those vulnerable victims. Spiegel pressured and harassed reluctant patients via text messages and became sexually violent with at least one victim, Sestric said. Spiegel met one of his victims when she was only about seven or eight years old and initiated sexual contact years later by preying on her vulnerability when she was going through a divorce, a sentencing memo filed by Sestric said.
Spiegel admitted prescribing controlled substances to his co-defendant, April Bingham, in exchange for sexual favors. He knew that she was selling some of the drugs, and that she was addicted. He prescribed drugs to Bingham using the names of friends and relatives in part to take advantage of their insurance benefits. Bingham then introduced Spiegel to others who paid him or performed sex acts in exchange for controlled substances.
Spiegel’s crimes were only thwarted by an investigation that began with the Bridgeton Police Department. After his indictment, Spiegel lied in an April 2025 hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis while accusing police officers of illegally searching his cellular phone. Spiegel falsely claimed, in court and under oath, that he had not signed a consent form authorizing the search of his cellular phone until after the cellular phone data had been extracted by investigators.
The Bridgeton Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the FBI, and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric and Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
“Dr. Craig Spiegel is no better than a street-level drug dealer. He knowingly exploited individuals struggling with addiction, not to treat them, but to keep them dependent,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “For years, he fueled that addiction to ensure a steady stream of victims for his own sexual gratification. Spiegel didn’t just violate his oath as a physician, he preyed on vulnerable women and put their lives at serious risk of overdose.”
“Today’s sentencing marks an important step toward justice for the individuals harmed by Craig Spiegel’s criminal conduct,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “This doctor – a pediatrician – deliberately and callously abused his medical position to abuse and exploit his vulnerable patients and manipulate federal health care programs. The outcome in this case underscores HHS-OIG’s strong, longstanding commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold such fraudsters responsible for their crimes.”
“Acts such as those performed by this individual cannot and will not be tolerated,” DEA St. Louis Field Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “This man took advantage of his position and in the process, harmed countless individuals who filled prescriptions that he wrote, for a medical condition they didn’t have. Spiegel not only hurt those who trusted him, he destroyed his reputation and because of his actions now faces a significant time in federal prison.”
Spiegel pleaded guilty in December to one count each of illegal distribution of controlled substances, making false statements related to health care matters and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and Illinois Medicaid programs suffered losses totaling $114,480 because of Spiegel’s illegal prescription practices and Judge Ross ordered Spiegel to repay that amount.
Bingham, 48, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced in 2024 to 21 months in prison.
Individuals with concerns about Dr. Spiegel should call the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) at 800-447-8477.
Jefferson County Man Admits Sex Acts with TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Thursday admitted engaging in sex acts with a 13-year-old.
Anthony A. Moore, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted engaging in sex acts with the victim in 2023 and 2024, beginning when she was 13 and he was 46. The victim’s father discovered Moore’s crimes when he went through her cell phone and discovered communications between Moore and his daughter, including Moore’s requests for nude photos of her. Investigators also recovered images of her on Moore’s phone.
At Moore’s sentencing on June 24, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office 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.
Home Health Care Operator Admits Defrauding Missouri MedicaidRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County woman on Thursday admitted defrauding Missouri Medicaid via false claims of having provided home health care.
Camille S. Childress, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. Childress admitted submitting fraudulent documents to enroll her home health care company, Inspiring Angels LLC, with Missouri Medicaid. The paperwork falsely claimed that someone else owned the company, concealing Childress’ ownership and role due to a 2012 criminal conviction.
Childress also admitted submitting fraudulent claims to Missouri Medicaid seeking reimbursement for home healthcare services that were never provided. On numerous occasions, clients were in the hospital and could not have received any health care services at home. On other occasions, Childress submitted claims when the company did not have any timesheet records or documentation of the services. Missouri Medicaid paid at least $174,496 for claims submitted in 2021 and 2022.
Childress is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. She will be ordered to repay the money.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Turks and Caicos Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for the Sextortion of Missouri TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine on Thursday sentenced a man from the Turks and Caicos to 240 months in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for the sextortion of a Missouri teen.
Alexander Gardiner, 25, of Providenciales, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November. Gardiner, who is a citizen of both the United States and the Turks and Caicos, met a 15-year-old Missouri boy via Snapchat. After multiple requests by Gardiner, the teen sent photos of his genitals to Gardiner, believing he would be left alone after doing so. Gardiner instead repeatedly harassed the minor via iMessage, Facebook and WhatsApp, and threatened to send those images to the victim’s family and friends if the victim did not continue to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for Gardiner. Gardiner also admitted possessing multiple videos of teenage boys masturbating that he’d obtained via Snapchat. While pretending to be female, he directed an as-yet-unidentified 14-year-old to produce CSAM in 2021. Gardiner posted CSAM on Twitter and exchanged CSAM in Telegram group that targeted minors.
Gardiner has used usernames that contain the words “noahmonn” and “jewelsbaits.” Anyone who believes they may have been targets of a sextortion attempt by Gardiner or others should contact local law enforcement or the FBI by calling Call 1-800-CALL-FBI, contacting your local FBI office, or reporting it online at tips.fbi.gov or cybertipline.org.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has detailed information on resources for sextortion victims, including videos and discussion guides to help explain the problem to children and adults. They also have a step-by-step guide on how to report pictures or videos of children to social media companies and flag pictures so that the companies will seek out and remove the images.
The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. 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.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced an undocumented immigrant living in St. Charles County, Missouri to 10 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material.
Francisco J. Ocana-Talamantes, now 48, was arrested on March 8, 2024, for abusing a child. A subsequent court-approved search of his phone uncovered 338 images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
Ocana-Talamantes pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in December to one count of possession of child pornography.
He will be deported after his release from prison, as he is in the United States illegally.
The FBI, the St. Charles Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force 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.
Nonprofit Exec Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for the Largest Public Assistance Fraud in Missouri HistoryRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a former nonprofit executive who stole $19.7 million from a program meant to feed Missouri children to 16 years in prison and ordered her to repay the money.
Connie Bobo, 46, was executive director of New Heights Community Resource Center at the time, which accepted money to provide meals to low-income, school-age children after school and during the summer.
“Connie Bobo’s trial clearly showed that this was the largest public assistance and pandemic fraud in state history,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “Hungry children were turned away when Bobo’s distribution events ran out of food, all because she was spending public money on luxury goods, real estate and an extravagant vehicle.”
“Connie Bobo’s greed is beyond reprehensible. She stole millions of dollars meant to feed low-income children in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Instead of helping hungry kids, she used that money to buy a $1 million home, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, and four additional properties—all of which the FBI has now seized. Those stolen funds from a taxpayer- funded program could have provided meals for children across Missouri.”
“This fraudster egregiously purloined American taxpayer dollars administered by USDA that she spent on personal luxuries including a new home,” said Inspector General John Walk for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. “This sentencing reflects the seriousness of stealing millions of dollars from a public program intended to provide meals to children in need. I commend Special Agent in Charge Matthew Wilkins and the dedicated USDA OIG special agents who worked on this investigation, as well as our partners at the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office for their efforts to hold the defendant accountable.”
Bobo set out to defraud the state from the very outset of her participation in the state’s meal program for children, a sentencing memorandum filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman says. In 2018, she submitted fraudulent state program enrollment documents and created fake board members, fake trainings and fake bylaws designed to induce Missouri to provide her with meal money, the memo says. Bobo submitted hundreds of fraudulent meal reimbursement claims from 2019-2022 and spent millions of dollars in public meal funds on luxury goods, homes for relatives, a new home for herself, a $200,000 Mercedes-Benz G550 Wagon for a romantic partner and a $2.2 million commercial real estate investment, evidence and testimony showed.
Bobo received a total of $19.7 million in state reimbursement funds and spent just $6.8 million on food and milk, evidence showed. The entire $19.7 million was fraudulently obtained because of Bobo’s fraud in enrolling in the program.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Bobo drastically ramped up her scheme, and her receipt of state meal reimbursement money, the trial showed. Many of the children that should have been fed by Bobo were out of school during Covid-19 and were not receiving regular meals.
The memo points out that Bobo produced fictitious food invoices when she learned of the FBI investigation and attendance logs listing fake children, and lied when she testified at trial.
Bobo, 46, of St. Charles, Missouri, was convicted by a jury of three counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and two counts of obstruction of an official proceeding after a three-day trial in October.
Anyone with information about COVID-19 related fraud should contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
Two Sentenced for Kidnapping St. Louis County ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced Kendal “KD” White, one of the men who kidnapped a toddler in St. Louis County, Missouri in a bid to recover missing guns, to 20 years in prison.
Cam’Ron Henderson, 21, of St. Louis, was sentenced in January to 130 months in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping.
White, 21, of St. Charles, believed that the father of the 2-year-old kidnapping victim had taken items from him, including firearms. On Aug. 10. 2023, White, Henderson and others began looking for the man and eventually found their way to the victim’s mother’s apartment in St. Louis County. When she did not answer the door, White and Henderson kicked it in. Both men were armed. After learning that their quarry was not in the apartment, White demanded that the mother turn over her daughter. When she refused, White struck her in the head with his gun repeatedly before grabbing the toddler and fleeing. The toddler’s mother called police.
When White and Henderson learned that an Amber Alert had been issued and included a description of the Hyundai Elantra they were driving, White paid three women to return the toddler to her uncle’s home.
“This was an incredibly violent offense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski said during Thursday’s hearing.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Felon Admits to Crime Related to Toddler’s Accidental ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County on Thursday admitted lying about the accidental shooting of a toddler last year.
As part of a plea agreement, Rodrick Miller, 36, admitted that on March 6, 2025, he and his girlfriend, the toddler’s mother, cleaned an Anderson Manufacturing, AM-15 semiautomatic pistol and left it on a couch in the girlfriend’s Wellston home. Miller’s plea says he is unaware of how the toddler was shot, but afterwards, Miller and his girlfriend took the boy to the hospital with severe injuries to his calf. On the way, Miller stopped in a wooded area and hid the gun behind a tree. They then told North County Police Cooperative officers that the boy had been shot by a stray bullet during a gun battle between two vehicles, while Miller’s girlfriend was walking home. Miller told officers that he left work to take his girlfriend and her son to the hospital. Police later recovered the gun.
Miller, of Pine Lawn, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in June and faces up to 15 years in prison.
The North County Police Cooperative, the St. Ann Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franks is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Former St. Louis Building Inspector Accused of $1.6 Million FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former building inspector with the City of St. Louis has been indicted and accused of steering $1.67 million meant for the repair of decrepit buildings in St. Louis to himself and relatives.
Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday with three counts of wire fraud. He is in custody and will be in court Friday for his initial appearance.
The indictment says that while a building division inspector with the City of St. Louis, Popoola steered money that was meant to renovate and rehabilitate privately-owned buildings into companies owned by his sister and his wife.
Popoola had his sister, who lives in Texas and has no construction background, register a company in Missouri in October of 2022 called Farst Construction LLC. Popoola’s longtime paramour (and later wife) incorporated a Missouri business called Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February of 2021.
The indictment says Popoola steered about $1.4 million to Farst from the city’s Stable Communities STL program and about $339,500 from the city’s Prop NS program for purported rehabilitation and stabilization work. Popoola caused about $1.3 million from the Stable Communities STL program and about $1 million from the Prop NS program to be awarded to Premier, the indictment says.
Of the 59 contracts awarded through the Stable Communities STL program, Popoola caused 13 to be awarded to Farst and 10 to be issued to Premier, the indictment says, for a combined total of about 42% of the $7.99 million awarded. Of the 144 contracts awarded through the Prop NS program, Popoola caused 8 to be awarded to Farst and 23 to be awarded to Premier, the indictment says, for about 24% of the $5.6 million total. Stable Communities was funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act funds received by the city. Prop NS was funded through city-issued general obligation bonds.
Farst and Premier did not perform the contracted work on multiple properties, but Popoola falsely certified to the city’s Comptroller that the work had been performed completely and properly, the indictment says.
Popoola and his wife had one or more joint bank accounts where the city funds were deposited. He had the same arrangement with his sister. In one example provided in the indictment, when Farst received a $29,500 check from the Prop NS program in February of 2023, Popoola’s sister immediately issued herself a $15,000 check from the Farst business account and deposited it into her personal bank account, then immediately wrote a $10,000 check to Popoola.
Popoola, his sister and his wife obtained about $1.67 million after paying subcontractors for purported work on the stabilization projects, the indictment says. Popoola used the money for residential mortgage payments, multiple vehicle purchases and repairs, travel expenses, his September 2023 Hawaii wedding, casino gambling, and other dining and entertainment expenses, the indictment says.
Popoola lied on city documents when he falsely stated that he had no personal interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract with the City of St. Louis and that he had no interest in any business, the indictment says. His sister and wife lied on contract documents when they falsely claimed that “No officer, employee, or member of the governing body of the City of St. Louis, Missouri who exercises any functions or responsibilities in connection with the carrying out of the Project to which this Contract pertains shall have any private interest, direct or indirect, in this contract,” the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.The FBI investigated the case, with substantial cooperation from the City of St. Louis Comptroller’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
public_indictment.pdfFive Sentenced for Helping Overseas Scammers Defraud Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man who participated in a scheme that stole millions of dollars from elderly victims in ten states to four years in prison.
Judge Schelp also ordered Sital Singh, 43, to pay $6.6 million in restitution to victims.
Singh, Dariona Lambert, 24, Zhamoniq Stevens, 24, Chintankumar Parekh, 52, and Mehulkumar Darji, 42, all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Lambert and Stevens were couriers who picked up gold bars or coins from scam victims. Darji, Parekh and Singh were the “handlers” who collected the gold and paid the couriers in cash.
Overseas scammers contacted elderly victims via telephone calls and electronic messages, falsely claiming that the victims’ savings and retirement accounts had been compromised. They told their victims that they needed to transfer their funds to keep their accounts secure, often via the purchase of gold bars or coins. The government believes that the overseas scammers netted $9.3 million from victims.
One of the victims, an 82-year-old St. Louis woman, was contacted by someone claiming to represent a computer software support team and told that her financial accounts had been compromised. Among other things, they told her to buy about $250,000 worth of gold bars. They sent Lambert to pick up the gold. On May 1, 2024, she flew from Gainesville, Florida to St. Louis. Parekh rented a car and drove Lambert to a parking lot near the victim’s home. She then took a rideshare to the victim’s home, where she was intercepted by law enforcement agents. After Parekh was alerted by Lambert that she had been apprehended, he fled to Pittsburgh.
Singh worked as a handler in gold bar pickups from victims in Collierville, Tenn.; Universal City, Texas; and Greendale, Wis. Parekh worked as a handler in pickups from victims in Yuma and Scottsdale in Arizona; Placentia and La Jolla in California; Largo, Florida; Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Pittsburgh, Penn. Darji worked as a handler in pickups from Scottsdale, Largo and La Jolla. Lambert worked as a courier in Scottsdale; Placentia; La Jolla; Largo; Universal City; Hanover, Mass.; and Erie, Penn. Stevens worked as a courier in gold bar pickups from victims in Yuma; La Jolla; Collierville; Largo; Greendale; Oxnard, Calif.; Long Island, N.Y.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Darji and Parekh have been sentenced to four years in prison. Lambert was sentenced to two years in prison and Stevens was sentenced to 18 months. All were also ordered to pay restitution
Parekh and Darji are in the United States unlawfully and will be deported upon their release from prison. Parekh overstayed his work visa and Darji was removed from the country in 2014.
“Sital Singh and his co-conspirators in the U.S. and overseas are parasites. Their crimes devastated their elderly victims by robbing them of their life savings. In one example, an elderly couple in their 90s lost all the money they had saved to ensure their disabled adult child would be taken care of for life,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The FBI will continue to aggressively dismantle these types of organized networks operating in the U.S., while working with our international law enforcement partners to go after the ringleaders overseas.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
If someone you know is a victim of a cyber scam, report it to the FBI. You can file the complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or use 1-800-CALL-FBI.
St. Louis Man Caught Twice with Guns and Drugs Sentenced to 200 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man caught twice with guns and drugs on the same block in St. Louis to 200 months in prison.
At Irven L. White’s trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October, evidence and testimony showed that on Nov. 1, 2023, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer saw White conducting what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the 4400 block of Farlin Avenue. When other officers approached, White fled, discarding a firearm, but he was immediately detained. Officers found fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base. On August 26, 2024, officers were notified that White, who had an outstanding warrant for the November 1 incident, was again conducting a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the same block. He fled officers again, leaving behind a bag containing two guns. He was arrested in a nearby home, where officers found fentanyl and cocaine base.
White has multiple prior felony convictions and is thus barred from possessing firearms. Among his prior convictions is one for second degree murder involving a drug-linked shooting in the 4400 block of Farlin Avenue on Aug. 4, 1997. At the time of the Nov. 1, 2023, incident, he was on supervised release from a 2009 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm – an offense that occurred in the same block of Farlin.
White, 47, of St. Louis, was found guilty at trial of six felonies: two counts each of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
Missouri Sex Offender Admits Producing AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A sex offender from Farmington, Missouri on Tuesday admitted failing to register the social media accounts that he used to promote AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
Joel Kerbrat, 70, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of failing to update his registration as a sex offender. Kerbrat was convicted of possession of child pornography in a 2010 case. After his release from prison, he was placed on supervised release for life and required to register as a sex offender. Registration includes a requirement to also register “internet identifiers,” including any social media accounts.
On July 18, 2024, Kerbrat’s federal probation officer visited him at his home in Farmington. The officer spotted a laptop and cell phone in plain view. The officer found a program to generate AI images on the laptop, as well as a profile for an AI-generated teenage girl. Kerbrat admitted that he had used the AI program to create images depicting child pornography. A forensic examination of the devices revealed that Kerbrat had an unregistered account on Discord, another on LiveChat and an unregistered email address.
Kerbrat was a member of a Discord group where members discussed and promoted the production of AI-generated pornographic images. Kerbrat also utilized a website, which he visited hundreds of times, to create AI images of child pornography. One of the website pages he visited was titled “build a preteen.”
Kerbrat admitted as part of his plea agreement that he utilized the AI program to create 52 images containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) involving depictions of prepubescent girls, 251 images of “potential CSAM” involving depictions of teenage girls, hundreds of images depicting nude children and thousands of depictions of adult pornography.
Kerbrat is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15 for the current offense and for violating his supervised release. The failure to register charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The U.S. Probation Office of the Eastern District of Missouri investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.
Jurors Convict Former Missouri Police Officer of Civil Rights Violation, Other ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday convicted a former Northwoods, Missouri police officer of charges related to the assault of a handcuffed man in 2023.
Jurors found Samuel Davis, 28, guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of witness tampering by way of misleading conduct for making a misleading statement to a police dispatcher and one count of falsifying records in a federal investigation for turning off his body-worn camera. He was found not guilty of one count of conspiracy.
Jurors acquitted another former officer, Michael Hill, 54, of all charges.
Evidence and testimony at the trial, which began March 2, showed that Northwoods police were called to a Walgreens store on the evening of July 4, 2023, about a shoplifter, C.G. C.G. had shoplifted from the store before and was known to Davis. Davis handcuffed C.G., who was compliant and cooperative, and then placed him in Davis’ police vehicle. Instead of taking him to jail, Davis drove him to an empty field in a desolate area of Kinloch. C.G. testified during the trial that Davis pepper-sprayed him, beat him with a baton while he was still handcuffed, breaking his jaw, and then tased him. A passerby interrupted the attack, causing Davis to flee, evidence and testimony showed. She returned and found C.G., bloodied and crying out for help. C.G. told responding St. Louis County Police Department officers and medical personnel that he had been beaten by a Northwoods officer. Medical records documented the broken jaw. Davis’ TASER records indicated that it had been used around the time of the attack.
Davis did not file a report about the arrest of C.G., the trip to Kinloch or any use of force. He also turned off his body-worn camera.
Davis faces up to 10 years in prison for the deprivation of rights under color of law charge and 20 years in prison for the other charges.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug of the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Former Florissant Police Officer Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Searching Women’s Phones for Nude ImagesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a former Florissant, Missouri police officer to 24 months in prison for illegally searching the phones of 20 women for nude photos and ordered him to pay $2,681 in restitution to his victims.
Julian Alcala, 31, pulled the women over while on duty, in uniform and in a marked police vehicle between Feb. 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024. Alcala took mobile phones from 19 of the victims by claiming that he needed to go back to his patrol car and use their phone to confirm insurance coverage. He told the 20th that he was confirming her vehicle registration. Alcala then searched through the phones without a warrant, probable cause or a lawful reason. When he found images that portrayed either the victim or a loved one or both in a partial or full state of nudity, he used his own cell phone to take photographs. Alcala also found and forwarded a video of one victim to his cell phone. When that victim discovered the forwarding of the video and reported it to the FBI, court-approved search warrants of Alcala’s cell phone and his cloud storage uncovered the other victims.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug said Alcala had violated his oath to protect and serve. Victims, she said, had previously trusted police officers, but Alcala’s actions had replaced that trust with “mistrust and disgust and fear of law enforcement.” She pointed out that Alcala victimized five women in just one shift. In another, he victimized three women and in a third he victimized two.
Alcala, 30, pleaded guilty in December to 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.
“When Julian Alcala abused his authority, the damage extended far beyond his immediate victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “His actions dishonored the badge and undermined the public trust that every officer is sworn to uphold. I appreciate the leadership of the Florissant Police Department for working closely with the FBI to hold Alcala accountable and ensure he could no longer victimize members of this community.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Accused of Robbing Vietnam Veteran at Veterans Administration HospitalRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man has been accused of robbing someone in the parking lot of the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital in St. Louis.
Lafayette Hutchins, 68, was indicted in U.S. District Court on February 18 with one count of robbery within the special territorial jurisdiction of the United States, namely the parking lot of the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital. Hutchins was arrested Tuesday, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty.
A motion seeking to have Hutchins held in jail until trial accuses Hutchins of robbing a Vietnam veteran at gunpoint.
A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 162 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a felon to 13 1/2 years in prison for carjacking a woman in St. Louis in 2024.
On Jan. 5, 2024, Deionte Grice approached the woman, who had just parked her 2020 Kia Optima in the 5300 block of Devonshire Avenue in St. Louis. Grice pointed a gun at her, demanded her belongings and took her car, phone and purse. Grice later struck a curb as he drove into Forest Park, disabling the vehicle. He abandoned it and got on a MetroBus.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers stopped the bus and found Grice with the stolen purse and two handguns.
Grice, 31, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in October to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He also admitted violating his supervised release in a 2020 case in which he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.