Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Judge sentences Randolph County man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Shon Diegan to 60 months in prison today. The 47-year-old Moberly, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On September 28, 2019, a Chariton County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a complaint of an armed man trespassing on private property in Salisbury, Missouri. The deputy arrived and found Diegan sitting inside a cattle corral with a rifle by his side. When the deputy entered the corral, Diegan placed the rifle in his lap. The deputy ordered Diegan to put down the rifle and Diegan refused. Diegan told the deputy he was going to shoot himself. The deputy tried to disarm Diegan, but the two began to struggle. Diegan pulled on the rifle sending the muzzle into the dirt where the weapon discharged.
Diegan surrendered after an officer from the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived to help. Officers took Diegan into custody and seized the rifle in his possession. Investigators learned the firearm was recently stolen.
“I am grateful the brave and well-trained officers came home safely,” said U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen.
The Chariton County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey Ogden handled the case.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Byron Hubbard to 60 months in prison. The 30-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On March 12, 2018, a St. Louis County Police officer noticed a vehicle stalled in the 10000 block of Count Drive with Hubbard seated in the driver’s seat. The officer conducted a check of the license plates and learned they were not registered to the vehicle. The officer turned on the patrol car’s lights and sirens.
Hubbard quickly drove away, stopped and tried to get out of the vehicle. The officer ordered Hubbard to stay in the vehicle. The officer noticed Hubbard acting nervous and trying to avoid attention. The officer also smelled an odor consistent with the smell of marijuana and then asked Hubbard to leave the vehicle to allow a vehicle search. Hubbard verbally objected so the officer told him he was going to be detained. Hubbard then tried to drive away.
In response, the office reached through the driver’s door and put the vehicle in park. Hubbard resisted stating he would not leave the vehicle. Another officer opened the passenger’s side door and noticed a handgun sticking out of Hubbard’s pant pocket. The officer pulled the loaded 9mm semi-automatic from Hubbard’s pocket and rendered it safe. After the firearm was recovered, the officer searched Hubbard and found 49 capsules containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. A computer check revealed Hubbard is a convicted felon.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sara Koppenaal handled the case.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Shaun Williams to 37 months in prison. The 37-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On September 8, 2019, Williams was approached by St. Louis County Police after officers saw him getting out of a vehicle reported stolen in St. Louis City. Williams, after being told he was being detained in reference to the stolen vehicle, ran from officers. Additional officers responded to search the area and found Williams in the backyard of a vacant home. Officers found a loaded Hi Point Model 995 rifle-style firearm in the backseat of the stolen car Williams had been driving. Williams admitted he ran from officers due to his knowledge of the firearm in the car.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.
#####
Judge sentences Jefferson County woman for production of child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney Sippel sentenced Heather McDorman to 288 months (24 years) in prison today. The 32-year-old Barnhart, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to five counts of producing child pornography and two counts of attempting to produce child pornography.
According to court documents, between February 1, 2018 and March 12, 2018, McDorman, at the direction of her boyfriend and co-defendant Zachary Hamby, attempted to take pornographic photographs of children in restrooms at South County Mall, Walmart, other area malls, park bathrooms and a church bathroom. McDorman, at the direction of co-defendant Hamby, also sexually abused a child and photographed and livestreamed some of the abuse so that Hamby could view it. The abuse was produced using an IPhone and then mailed, shipped or transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Colleen Lang handled the case.
#####
U.S. Attorney’s Office Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO— United States Attorney Jeff Jensen announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) Jennifer Roy and Hal Goldsmith will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSAs Roy and Goldsmith have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Eastern District of Missouri, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Jensen said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Jensen stated that AUSAs/DEOs Roy and Goldsmith will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (314) 539-7733.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (314) 589-2500 or, on election day, at (314) 612-3000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Jensen said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
#####
Pharmacist sentenced for presenting forged prescriptions opioid and anti-malaria prescription drugsRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Tamara Jo Nyachira, of Pittsburg, Kansas, was sentenced today to three years’ probation, a $5,000 fine and 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to obtaining narcotic opioid prescription drugs with forged prescriptions before Chief United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.
According to her plea agreement, Nyachira was a pharmacist for a large pharmacy chain, and worked at various pharmacies throughout Missouri, including one in Farmington, Missouri. Nyachira admitted that she used a forged prescription to fraudulently obtain Codeine/butalbital/acetaminophen/caffeine (sometimes marketed as Fioricet® with Codeine), which is an opioid drug and Schedule III controlled substance.
Further, Nyachira admitted in her plea agreement that during March of 2020, Nyachira used several forged prescriptions to obtain two drugs, amoxicillin clavulanate potassium (sometimes marketed as Augmentin®) and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (sometime marketed as Plaquenil®). In her plea agreement, defendant admitted that she wanted to stockpile these drugs for herself and her family, and use them later if she or her family were directly exposed to or infected by the COVID-19 virus. Defendant admitted that her conduct was wrongful in that it helped create shortages of these drugs, which are often used by elderly or low-income patients with chronic conditions such as lupus or arthritis.
“Nyachira allegedly forged prescriptions and fraudulently obtained opioids and other drugs, thereby limiting availability of medications to patients legitimately reliant on these drugs,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We are dedicated to working with local, state, and federal officials to hold accountable individuals who engage in such illegal activities.”
This case was investigated by Pittsburg, Kansas Police Department, the Branson, Missouri Police Department, and the Farmington Police Department, with assistance from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri Pharmacy Board, the Eastern District of Missouri OPIOID Task Force, and the Eastern District of Missouri COVID-19 Task Force, a multi-agency working group committed to fighting COVID-19 frauds and scams that is operated under the leadership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Secret Service.
#####
St. Louis man pleads guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted a plea, today, from Richard Enloe, Jr. The 39-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On September 1, 2019, St. Louis County Police responded to a 911 call regarding a possible drug overdose at a gas station on Butler Hill Road. An officer arrived and found Enloe, Jr. and a woman asleep inside a running vehicle at a gas pump. The officer also noticed drug paraphernalia and controlled substances on the vehicle’s console.
After the officer knocked on the window, Enloe, Jr. and the woman woke up. The officer searched the vehicle and found three pistols, 223 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a scale, and multiple plastic bags. Enloe, Jr. admitted possessing the firearms and intending to distribute the drugs.
The charge of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of no more than 40 years of imprisonment and a fine of no more than $5,000,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of ten years and a fine of no more than $250,000.
Judge Autrey has set sentencing for January 20, 2021.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) Jen Szczucinski is handling the case as part of the Safer Streets Initiative, which was launched by Attorney General Schmitt and U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen in January of 2019 as an unprecedented state and federal partnership to prosecute violent crime in St. Louis.
###
Judge sentences St. Louis man for robbing people at St. Charles Fireworks stand at gunpointRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced Duianete Moore to 264 months in prison. The 39-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to federal felony charges of robbery affecting interstate commerce, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Moore engaged in on-going criminal activity throughout the spring and summer of 2018, including the theft of firearms from vehicles on four separate occasions. On June 26, 2018, Moore and a woman rushed into the Crazy Cheap Fireworks tent in St. Charles County. Moore pointed a firearm at the employees and demanded all get on the ground and not look at him. Moore and the woman took the victims’ wallets and cell phones as well as fireworks sales proceeds from the cash register. At the time of Moore’s arrest, he possessed a backpack containing a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a drum magazine.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Mehan is handling the case.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis man for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunitionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Daniel McSkimming, today, to 110 months in prison. McSkimming, a 23-year-old resident of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in July to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug distribution.
On August 13, 2019, officers from the St. Louis County Police Department responded to a call for shots fired inside an apartment complex in the 2600 block of Park Hill Circle. A sport utility vehicle (SUV) seen fleeing from the area was registered to McSkimming’s parents.
Officers spotted ballistic damage on an apartment and seized three 9mm casings and one bullet from the scene. Officers learned one of the people who lived in the apartment owed McSkimming money for heroin and McSkimming previously threatened the individual over Facebook regarding the money owed.
Later that evening, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department received calls for shots fired in the 3900 block of Weber Road. McSkimming was a passenger in the same SUV and fired multiple shots at a residence. Officer found ballistic damage and seized four 9mm casings and one bullet from the scene.
The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”), a national database that automates ballistic imaging evaluations and provides actionable investigative leads to law enforcement agencies provided a lead linking the cartridge casings from the two shootings. Additionally, defendant’s telephone was identified as being in the area of each shooting at the time of the incident.
On September 3, 2019, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested McSkimming at a hotel and seized a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and four capsules containing a mixture of fentanyl and heroin.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, St. Louis County Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) Jen Szczucinski handled the case as part of the Safer Streets Initiative. The initiative was launched by Attorney General Schmitt and U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen in January of 2019 as an unprecedented state and federal partnership to prosecute violent crime in St. Louis.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Charles Kates, Jr., to 75 months in prison following Kates Jr.’s plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On April 28, 2019, Kates, Jr. and two others went into a St. Louis residence intending to rob a man of drugs and money. The intended victim, who is also a co-defendant, was in his bedroom counting money from drug sales when he heard Kates, Jr. and the others outside. The intended victim left his residence and got into an altercation with Kates, Jr. and his associates.
Both sides fired shots. The intended robbery victim received 14 gunshot wounds and dragged himself through his yard to a car. Kates, Jr. was also shot in the ankle during the gunfight. Kates, Jr. dropped his firearm on the sidewalk as he and his associates left the scene. The firearm was found unloaded, Kates, Jr. having shot all the ammunition it contained.
Police searched the intended robbery victim’s house and found marijuana, crack, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, a fentanyl precursor and $5,682 in cash. Kates, Jr. was identified as being a part of robbery plot by his blood being found on the firearm he dropped on the sidewalk.On July 23, 2019, police recovered a carjacked vehicle parked outside Kates, Jr.’s residence, which contained a loaded semiautomatic AR-style pistol. In the overnight hours of July 21-22, 2019, security cameras captured Kates, Jr. firing that weapon in the air in his residential neighborhood. On August 13, 2019, police executed a search warrant and seized another AR-style pistol under a couch where Kates, Jr. was sleeping.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dunkel is handling the case.
#####
Judge sentences California woman for committing aggravated identify theftRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – Today, United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Nykeythia Hudson, a 28-year-old resident of Concord, California, to 24 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft.
Hudson and her associate, both residents of California, traveled to Missouri to use counterfeit credit cards to fraudulently purchase gift cards and merchandise. Police stopped their rental car in St. Charles County on January 28, 2017. When Hudson opened the glove compartment to provide the vehicle’s registration information, a plastic bag containing with 81 cards fell out.
To appear authentic, fourteen of the cards were embossed with an altered card verification value, “CVV,” numbers. The account numbers on the front of the cards had been issued by financial institutions other than those appearing on the cards, and to individuals other than the defendants.
January 28, 2017 surveillance footage from a St. Charles County Wal-Mart captured Hudson using a counterfeit Walmart Visa Debit card to purchase a Wal-Mart gift card. The debit card was embossed with the USAA account number issued to A.V. and the name of a different person. Neither A.V. nor USAA authorized the possession or use of her account number.
Of the remaining cards that fell from the glove compartment, 20 were fraudulently purchased Walmart Visa gift cards and 47 were fraudulently purchased TJ Maxx-Home Goods gift cards. In the vehicle, police also found receipts showing the purchase of additional gift cards from Wal-Mart and TJ Maxx using other the stolen USAA account numbers.
The Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case.
#####
St. Louis man pleads guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Ronnie L. White accepted a plea today from LeVaughn Neal. The 35-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to a plea agreement, in August 2019, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned Neal and a co-defendant were involved in significant methamphetamine distribution in the St. Louis area. The United States Postal Inspection Service, at the same time, was conducting surveillance of suspicious packages mailed from Arizona to St. Louis.
On October 17, 2019, postal inspectors intercepted a suspicious package mailed from Scottsdale, Arizona to a vacant home in Jennings, MO. The addressee was not associated with the vacant home. DEA agents conducted surveillance on the vacant house and saw Neal parked in a vehicle near the house. The DEA conducted a controlled delivery of the package and left it on the front porch of the vacant house. Agents then watched Neal get out of a vehicle and pick up the package off the porch.
Agents tried to arrest Neal, but he dropped the package and ran. Agents eventually arrested Neal and executed a search warrant to search the package. Inside the package, agents found zip-lock bags of crystal methamphetamine wrapped in duct tape and a vacuum-sealed bag inside bubble wrap. Neal admitted he chose the vacant address for delivery and the package should contain five pounds of meth. A forensics lab confirmed the package contained 2,217 grams. Neal is actually responsible for between 1.5 kilograms and 4.5 kilograms.
The charge of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of no more than Life imprisonment and a fine of no more than $10,000,000.
Judge White has set sentencing for January 25, 2021.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is handling the case.
#####
United States Attorney and Office of Justice Programs announce site-based and research awards to advance forensic science in Eastern District of MissouriRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jeff Jensen and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan announced substantial grants to fund crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research, and help law enforcement identify missing persons in the Eastern District of Missouri. The funding is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice, both part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs.
Through the BJA DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program, the following funds are being provided to process, record, screen and analyze DNA evidence and to enhance the ability of crime labs to process evidence. The funding helps reduce the number of forensic DNA database samples awaiting analysis, prevents additional DNA backlogs and helps solve crimes.St. Charles County $75,000
St. Louis County $174,698
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department $280,057
Missouri State Highway Patrol $483,798
Complementing these efforts, BJA’s Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program is making the following awards. The awards help states and local governments improve the quality and timeliness of forensic services provided by crime laboratories and medical examiner and coroners' offices. Funding will go toward eliminating backlogs and employing and training laboratory personnel and death investigators.
Missouri Department of Public Safety $331,027
St. Louis County $244,275
In addition, BJA is making the following substantial award through the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. The funding supports the documentation of unanalyzed sexual assault kits, and the efficient processing, investigation and prosecution of sexual assault kits as well as victim advocacy to support effective resolution of sexual assault cases ‒ steps that are effective in reducing violent crime.
Missouri Attorney General’s Office $2,000,000
United States Attorney Jeff Jensen stated, “These grants further strengthen the ability of our state and local partners to use powerful forensic tools in a timely manner. This increased forensic capacity will further the pursuit of justice in relation to violent crime and sexual assaults within the Eastern District of Missouri.”
#####Saint Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Using Online Marketplaces to Rob Victims of iPhonesRead the Press Release
Clyde Jefferson, 28, of St. Louis, appeared before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber and pled guilty to five counts of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Judge Webber set the case for sentencing on January 14, 2021.
Jefferson admitted that he used online marketplaces including Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Letgo to arrange for victims to sell him their iPhones at locations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. When meeting the victims, Jefferson would offer them counterfeit currency in exchange for their iPhones. Jefferson brandished a firearm during several of the transactions, which occurred on August 3, September 21, and October 8, 2018, and on January 8 and 29, 2019.
The United States alleges that Jefferson shot one of his victims, a fact which Jefferson disputes and the Court will resolve at the sentencing hearing.
This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Richmond Heights Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Roy is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis man for role in romance scheme targeting elderly communityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Hammed Akande to 63 months in prison. Akande, a 30-year-old resident of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in March to a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud relative to his role in a romance scam targeting 24 people.
According to court documents, in 2017, Akande began serving as a “money mule” in a romance scam that targeted 24 elderly residents of Missouri and a number of other states. “Romance Scams” are schemes in which fraudsters pretend to be in a romantic relationship with their victims in order to obtain money and merchandise as well as to induce the victims to conduct financial transactions on the fraudsters’ behalf. Because the victims are targeted through online dating sites and social media, the fraudsters are able to hide their identities by using the names and photographs of others and explaining their inability to meet or use video messaging services by claiming to be working abroad or in the military.
As a money mule, Akande’s role was to receive mailings containing money and electronic devices sent from the romance scam victims to residential addresses he controlled in the Saint Louis, Misouri metropolitan area. Akande then forwarded a portion of the funds and merchandise he received to other members of the romance scam conspiracy who resided within the United States and abroad through the mails as well as through the electronic transfer of funds.
Akande also played a significant role in the scheme because he used his skill with the English language to proofread messages that his Nigerian co-conspirators were sending to the victims living in the United States. This skill placed the victims at ease, and furthered their misbelief that they were in a romantic relationship with United States citizens.
Each of the victims were over the age of 60. Of the 24 victims, three reported experiencing substantial financial hardship because of the funds that they sent to the fraudsters, and four of them had aggregate losses in the amount of $574,123.45.
During the period of the scheme, Akande learned of a criminal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Akande relayed the information concerning the investigation to at least one of his co-conspirators, who immediately contacted a victim to tell that person not to speak with the law enforcement official Akande identified.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes targeting older adults. The Eastern District of Missouri Identity Theft Task Force is a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat identity theft and its related crimes across the St. Louis Community.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis County man for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Romando E. Welch, Sr. to 60 months in prison. Welch, a 45-year-old resident of Ferguson, Missouri, pleaded guilty to three counts of being in possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
As part of their criminal investigation of Welch, from March, 2019 through June, 2019, DEA Special Agents utilized confidential sources to purchase fentanyl and heroin from Welch.
On July 2, 2019, the DEA and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department executed a federal search warrant at a residence in the 3900 block of Palm Street in St. Louis, Missouri. As the officers were approaching the residence, Welch exited the residence and was arrested. Welch had a key to the residence, and admitted to the arresting officers that he stored his illegal drugs in an over-the-door shoe holder in a bedroom within the residence. Upon executing the search warrant, the officers recovered fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine from the shoe holder. Welch admitted to having sold heroin and methamphetamine for years, and also admitted to having sold approximately one pound of methamphetamine every 10 days, as well as buying approximately one-half ounce of heroin or fentanyl at a time for resale from his source, and that he had resupplied three times during June.
Welch also consented to the search of a residence in the 3700 block of Cook Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, where Welch said he lived with his girlfriend. Officers recovered a .380 pistol in a lunchbox in the bedroom of that residence, along with a sock containing approximately one ounce of heroin.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Yemm is handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
#####
Grand jury indicts St. Louis man accused of firing machine gun at officers for possessing unregistered destructive devices, a machine gun and a homemade cannonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – On October 7, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Marc Harold Taylor, II, alleging that Taylor knowingly possessed destructive devices, a cannon and a machine gun, that were not registered to him in the National Firearms and Transfer Record. Taylor is also charged with one count of possession of a machine gun. The 28 year old is a resident of St. Louis.
According to court documents, on September 10, 2020, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department answered a shots fired call in the 4700 block of Kossuth. Upon arrival, Taylor started firing at the officers with a fully automatic machine gun, but the officers were not injured. Officers returned fire and were able to apprehend Taylor. The machine gun was recovered at the Taylor’s feet. Officers searched Taylor’s residence and recovered a homemade cannon device along with black powder and hobby fuses. The machine gun and homemade cannon are depicted below:
The counts of possessing a destructive device carry a penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of $10,000; and the count of possessing a machine gun carries a penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosvies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Davis is handling the case.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
#####
Agents Arrest 15 People in Multi-State Drug Trafficking Ring Involving Fentanyl, Heroin, Methamphetamine and FirearmsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – This week the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department arrested 15 people in several states linked to an organized multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to the previously sealed indictment, returned on September 16, 2020, this was a long-running drug distribution conspiracy operating throughout the Eastern District of Missouri, the Southern District of Illinois, the Western District of Missouri, and the District of Kansas. The court record reflects that during the investigation, law enforcement officers seized evidence that included approximately: (1) 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl; (2) 250 grams of fentanyl analogues; (3) 8 kilograms of heroin; (4) 13 kilograms of methamphetamine (ice); (5) $157,551.00 in United States currency; and (6) 15 firearms.
“Anytime we are able to dismantle an organization dealing in fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, it’s a big deal,” stated Special Agent in Charge William J. Callahan, who oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division, which includes Missouri, Kansas and Southern Illinois. “DEA is out on the streets every day combating drug traffickers, bringing our significant investigative resources to target the command and control of drug trafficking organizations. The number of defendants in this indictment shows that we will find those who traffic drugs into the St. Louis area wherever they are.”
All of the below mentioned defendants are charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy. The indictment further charges Lee Garth, Jr. and Lee Garth, Sr. with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The indicted defendants include:
JORGE LOPEZ-QUEZADA, 31, of Mexico;
YALITZA E. CALDERON-OLIVAS, 24, of Kansas City, KS;
BENIGNO MONTENEGRO, 36, of Kansas City, MO;
LEE P. GARTH JR., 35, of East St. Louis, IL;
LEE P. GARTH SR., 52, of Kansas City, KS;
TYDARRYL GRIFFIN, 45, of St. Louis, MO;
WILLIE GRIFFIN, 51, of St. Louis, MO;
JERMAINE J. JOHNSON, 48, of St. Louis, MO;
DEVAUGHN M. LEE, 41, of St. Louis, MO;
RON D. HILL, 40, of St. Louis, MO;
BARNARD REED, 50, of St. Louis, MO;
KEYSHIA S. HARRIS, 46, of St. Louis, MO;
FAITH FITZPATRICK, 22, of Kansas City, KS;
CASSIDY GARTH, 26, of Belleville, IL;
TERESA SMITH, 49, of Kansas City, KS.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Charles County Police Department, St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service are investigating this case. The Office of the United States Attorney’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force is handling the case.
This investigation is part of Operation LeGend which is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in St. Louis in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. As part of Operation Legend, Attorney General Barr has directed federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF to surge resources to these cities to help state and local officials fighting violent crime. The Department of Homeland Security is also contributing agents to these efforts in St. Louis.
This prosecution was also brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime.
As is always the case, charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
#####
Judge sentences St. Louis doctor for distribution of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge John A. Ross sentenced Dr. Ashu Joshi to 96 months in prison for distribution of child pornography. The 48-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty in September.
Dr. Joshi was 46 years old when he began a relationship with a 16-year-old Kentucky girl who Dr. Joshi met through her mother, a former patient of the doctor’s in Kentucky. The doctor and victim had sex and took pornographic pictures, exchanging photos over Facebook messenger.
In October 2018, a St. Louis County Police Officer received four cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding Dr. Joshi. The tips were first directed to the Bowling Green, Kentucky Police Department, which then asked St. Louis County Police for help after investigators learned Dr. Joshi lived in St. Louis County. Investigators learned from the tips that between August and September 2018, a Facebook account linked to Doctor Joshi uploaded and sent several pictures containing child pornography. The investigators then gathered and developed evidence which led to the charges against Dr. Joshi.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis County Police Department and the Regional Computer Crimes Education and Enforcement Group investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Colleen Lang and Investigator Donya Jackson handled the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Franklin County man pleads guilty to production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted a plea, today, from Gabriel Trevino. The 35 year old pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography.
According to the plea agreement, between November 11, 2019 and November 18, 2019, Trevino stayed at the residence of a woman he was in a relationship with. After noticing a red light on the side of a picture frame in her children’s bathroom, the woman took the frame apart. She found a hidden camera with a SD card in a slot on the side of the picture frame.
She took the picture frame to a computer store and discovered that on the SD card were 300 video files, including some of her minor children. The woman said some of the videos of her children showed their private areas.
On November 18, 2019, the woman contacted the St. Louis County Police Department. During the Department’s investigation, Trevino admitted to placing the photo frame in the bathroom of the residence in order to attempt to record the woman. Trevino further admitted that he knew he would record the woman’s minor children in the bathroom as well.
The charge of production of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of no more than 30 years of imprisonment and a fine of no more than $250,000.
Judge Autrey has set sentencing for January 13, 2021.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the Washington Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Robert Livergood is handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge Sentences Man to 46 months in Prison for being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
St. Louis, Missouri – Christopher Walton, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey.
On August 1, 2019, law enforcement tracked Walton to a residence in the 200 block of Glen Garry Road as part of a fugitive investigation. Investigators arrested and searched Walton, and determined that he was in possession of keys to a stolen Gray 2014 Honda Accord parked outside of the Glen Garry Road residence.
After arresting Walton, law enforcement observed part of a firearm protruding from a dark-colored backpack located within the immediate entrance of the Glen Garry Road residence. The firearm was seized. The firearm was a Radical Firearms 5.56 / .223 Rem caliber semiautomatic pistol, loaded with 28 rounds of ammunition.
Walton admitted to ownership of the firearm and that he had just recently purchased the firearm. He further admitted to stealing the 2014 Honda Accord that law enforcement officers observed outside of the Glen Garry Road residence.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force.
#####
Judge Sentences Franklin County Woman to 11 years in Prison for her Role in Fentanyl and Heroin Conspiracy Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Shannon Rennee Bradley to 132 months in prison and ordered her to pay restitution jointly with the co-defendant in the amount of $8,500. The 26-year-old Washington, Missouri resident pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and aiding and abetting in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl. The conspiracy resulted in an overdose death.
On October 21, 2017, Bradley and co-defendant Jacob Brewer met the victim A.C. and her boyfriend at a gas station in Washington, Missouri, where the distribution took place. Late that evening, the victim and her boyfriend shared drugs sold by Bradley and Brewer. The woman’s boyfriend woke up and discovered his girlfriend unresponsive. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. She died as a result of acute heroin and fentanyl intoxication.
Co-defendant Brewer pled guilty in May 2019 and is awaiting sentencing, which has not been set.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Koppenaal and James Delworth handled the case.
#####
Former Company Accounting Clerk Pleads Guilty for Defrauding the CompanyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO –Stephanie Baker, 48, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud related to her former position in the accounting department of Prairie Farms Dairy Supply Company. Baker appeared, today, before United States District Henry Autrey who accepted her pleas and set sentencing for January 12, 2021.
According to the indictment and plea agreement, Baker was an employee of Prairie Farms, working in that company’s accounting department. Baker’s duties and responsibilities included applying and allocating Prairie Farms customer payments to their customer accounts. As part of her duties, Baker would routinely receive checks from Prairie Farms customers, and make accounting entries to apply those checks to each customer’s account and therefore reduce the balance owed to Prairie Farms of that particular customer account by the amount of the check received.
C.S. owned and operated a Dairy Queen restaurant franchise in southern Illinois. DQ Columbia maintained an account at Prairie Farms and purchased and received products from Prairie Farms on a regular basis. DQ Columbia was required under its franchise agreement to order and receive substantially all of its food, dairy products, and supplies from Prairie Farms.
Beginning in or about March, 2018 and continuing through in or about December, 2018, Baker devised, intended to devise, and knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud and obtain money from Prairie Farms and C.S., in an approximate amount of $192,336.74, by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
Baker received and applied payments from Prairie Farms customers other than DQ Columbia to DQ Columbia’s account. DQ Columbia, therefore, received credit and a reduction it its account balance for payments that were not made by DQ Columbia, but instead were made by other Prairie Farms customers. Further, the other Prairie Farms customers who made the actual payments did not receive credit and a reduction in their own account balances. As part of her scheme, Baker misapplied approximately $143,933.74 in other customer payments to the DQ Columbia account. Baker withheld and did not mail out statements to the other Prairie Farms customers so that those other customers would not realize that their prior payments to Prairie Farms had not been credited to their accounts.
Baker falsely represented to C.S. that, in order for DQ Columbia to continue receiving food, dairy products and supplies from Prairie Farms, C.S. needed to make cash payments personally to Baker. At Baker’s direction, C.S. met with Baker on numerous occasions and delivered cash to Baker based upon Baker’s false representations that she would deliver the cash to Prairie Farms and credit DQ Columbia’s account accordingly. In fact, Baker kept the cash she received from C.S., did not credit DQ Columbia’s account for the cash payments, and used the cash for her own personal use, including for the boarding and related expenses for a show horse and other general living expenses, unrelated to the legitimate business of Prairie Farms. C.S. met with Baker on numerous occasions and made cash payments to Baker totaling approximately $48,403.00. Prairie Farms and its owners had no knowledge of the cash payments which C.S. made to Baker, and received no portion of these cash payments.
Baker received numerous checks from Prairie Farms customers through the U.S. mail and as part of her scheme misapplied those payments as credits to the account of DQ Columbia.
Baker faces a potential statutory maximum sentence as to each count of mail fraud of twenty years’ imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. The Court is required to consider the United States Sentencing Commission guidelines in sentencing defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Drug-Related MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – Armond Calvin, of St. Louis City, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Calvin, 22, appeared before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry.
According to the plea agreement, Calvin was a member of a violent drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl and other illegal drugs to drug customers in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Members of the organization maintained various cellular telephones, which drug customers would call to obtain fentanyl. Calvin and other members of the conspiracy shared the phones, taking turns distributing fentanyl to customers who called the phone numbers.
On December 3, 2016, Calvin and other gang members learned a prospective customer had purchased fentanyl from a rival drug dealer, instead of from Calvin’s drug trafficking organization. Calvin and other members of his gang then tracked the rival dealer’s vehicle to the area of the Meramec Market, near the intersection of Oregon Avenue and Meramec Street in the City of St. Louis. At that location, Calvin, armed with a Glock 27, .40 caliber firearm fitted with a laser sight, leaned out of his own vehicle’s window and opened fire on the rival vehicle, striking and killing the backseat occupant, victim David Leslie Bryant, III. As Calvin was shooting, a black knit hat fell off Calvin’s head and onto the street. Later forensic analysis revealed Calvin’s DNA on the hat. The Glock 27, .40 caliber firearm was recovered several months later following the crash of a vehicle in which Calvin was a passenger, and ballistics analysis confirmed it was the murder weapon.
As part of his guilty plea, Calvin agreed to a recommended sentence of twenty years in prison.
This plea is connection with the on-going U.S. Attorney’s Office Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative and investigation into drug distribution at the Clinton-Peabody public housing complex. The investigation has included the execution of more than 15 federal search warrants resulting in the seizure of numerous firearms and controlled substances and was the subject of an important public forum involving law enforcement, citizens, and residents of the Clinton-Peabody complex held on August 3, 2018, at the Peabody Elementary School.
This case was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis Division of the FBI, the St. Louis Division of the DEA, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals Service, and the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa Yemm and Angie Danis are handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences Lincoln County man for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Jason Shook to 84 months in prison. The 42-year-old Hawk Point, Missouri resident previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the Plea Agreement, on February 25, 2019, St. Peters, Missouri Police Officers arrested Shook and recovered four handguns and an amount of methamphetamine from Shook’s car. Shook admitted that he had obtained the firearms and illegal drugs from an individual who went by the name “Bear” several days earlier. Shook further admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine, and that he had been selling methamphetamine for “Bear” for approximately six months.
Further, on April 11, 2019, St. Peters, Missouri Police Officers again arrested Shook, and recovered a distribution amount of methamphetamine from his car.
Shook had previously been convicted of a felony crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
The St. Peters, Missouri Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey Ogden is handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences man pleading guilty to skimming crimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Jorge Alexander Betances, Jr., on Tuesday, to 28 months in prison. The 24-year-old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident previously pleaded guilty to possession of device-making equipment.
According to court documents, on April 22, 2019, the defendant was pulled over by a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer with Phelps County Sheriff’s Department for a traffic violation while travelling on Interstate 44. A search of the defendant’s vehicle revealed numerous different components of credit card device making equipment – including skimming devices, a card encoding device, gas pump-style locks and security seals, and plastic card stock (some blank and some printed with banking information on them). In addition, law enforcement discovered inside the vehicle tools that could be used to install credit card skimmer devices on gas pumps. Finally, law enforcement discovered more than 3,572 counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, including in the form of physical credit cards and in electronic form on the defendant’s digital devices.
“Payment card skimming devices continue to be installed inside gas pumps throughout the nation, said Thomas Landry, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service St. Louis Field Office. “Skimmers are designed to covertly steal payment card information from unknowing victims when they purchase fuel at the pump. To protect yourself:
- Make sure the gas pump panel is closed and doesn’t show signs of tampering
- Run your card as a credit rather than a debit
- Go inside to pay or utilize mobile app/cardless payment systems
- Use gas pumps near the front of the store and be aware of your surroundings
- Check your accounts and report fraud to your bank immediately”
The Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle T. Bateman prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences armed St. Louis drug dealer for narcotics distribution and firearms related offensesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced, Tuesday, Monte Evans to 80 months in prison. The 38-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On April 25, 2019, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were patrolling in the 1300 block of Montclair Avenue when they saw Evans participate in a drug deal. Officers, still in the patrol car, approached Evans and he started acting suspicious. Officer stopped the car and got out and Evans ran.
Officers chased Evans and caught Evans when he slipped on wet grass. Officers did a pat-down, of Evans, and found a stolen Glock 27 semi-automatic pistol. Officers also found a firearms holster on his belt. During a search of Evans, police found 12.05 grams of heroin and 8.65 grams of crack. Officers arrested Evans.
On May 30, 2019, SLMPD officers saw Evans operating a car without a front license plate. Officers learned the car was registered to Evans, and that Evans had multiple active felony warrants. Officers performed a lawful traffic stop. While talking with Evans, officer smelled marijuana and searched the vehicle.
Officers discovered a satchel containing 3.06 grams of heroin, .39 grams of methamphetamine, 66.42 grams of marijuana, and a Glock 27 semi-automatic pistol loaded pistol with 13 rounds in the magazine.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dunkel prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Former Company Vice President/Chief Financial Officer pleads guilty for stealing approximately $800,000 in company fundsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO –Lynese Cargill (also known as Lynese Hoffman), 51, formerly of St. Louis County, Missouri, pled guilty to three counts of wire fraud related to her former position as vice president and chief financial officer of Common Ground Public Relations, Inc. Cargill appeared today before U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig who accepted her pleas and set sentencing for January 6, 2021.
According to the Information and Plea Agreement, the defendant, Lynese Cargill ("Cargill), was one of the two founders of Common Ground, and served as the firm’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Beginning in or about 2008 and continuing through in or about March 31, 2020, Cargill devised, and knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud and obtain money from Common Ground by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises in the total amount of $785,615.25.
Cargill issued 80 unauthorized bank checks to herself written on Common Ground’s bank account totaling $198,980.23. In order to conceal this aspect of her fraudulent scheme, Cargill made false and misleading entries in the internal financial and accounting records of Common Ground, purporting to make these unauthorized bank checks appear to be legitimate when, in fact, she knew they were not.
Cargill was issued both a Citibank MasterCard credit card and an American Express credit card by Common Ground to be used to pay for legitimate company expenses, such as necessary travel and other business expenses. Cargill used both of her company issued credit cards to make personal purchases, unrelated to the legitimate business and operations of Common Ground. Cargill's unauthorized credit card charges were for such personal expenses as airfare, hotels, automobiles, clothing, cosmetics, medi-spas, restaurants and miscellaneous retail purchases. These company issued credit card purchases were done by Cargill without the knowledge and authority of Common Ground. During the period of her fraudulent scheme, Cargill made approximately 2,841 unauthorized company issued MasterCard credit card purchases for personal use items and expenses, totaling approximately $351,748.42, and an additional approximately 1,166 unauthorized company issued American Express credit card purchases for personal use items and expenses, totaling approximately $190,200.66.
Cargill applied for and obtained 2 different $1,000,000 life insurance policies, but instead of naming Common Ground as the sole beneficiary, as required under the shareholder agreement, Cargill named her then husband, B.H., as the sole beneficiary on both policies. Cargill then made premium payments on both policies, totaling $5,244.00, with funds from Common Ground’s bank accounts.
Cargill also used Common Ground bank funds to pay for charges on three of her personal credit cards totaling approximately $38,516.94. None of these charges which were paid for with Common Ground funds were authorized by Common Ground, and they were not for the legitimate business or operations of Common Ground.
In order to conceal her fraudulent scheme, Cargill moved funds between Common Ground bank accounts to falsely inflate the balance of the firm’s operating account when she provided financial updates to the president and chief executive officer of the firm. In furtherance of her scheme, Cargill caused unauthorized wire transfers to be made from Common Ground’s bank account to make payments on her personal credit card charges.
Cargill faces a potential statutory maximum sentence as to each count of wire fraud of twenty years’ imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. The Court is required to consider the United States Sentencing Commission guidelines in sentencing defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal agencies make drug trafficking ring-related arrests in St. Louis and PhoenixRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO - The Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations arrested 10 people Tuesday, including seven in the St. Louis area and three in Phoenix, on charges that include conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Defendants are expected to be presented in federal court today. Among those charged were:
- Teresa Mejia-Palacios, 31, of St. Louis City;
- Reyman Ordonez Colmenero, 39, of Phoenix, AZ;
- Rafael Leon-Barradas, 37, of St. Louis City;
- Ramon Perez-Alonso, 36, of Collinsville, IL;
- Gavino Pelayo Echevarria, 28, of St. Louis City;
- Omar Ramirez-Villanos, 28, of St. Louis County;
- Luis Alonso Gomez-Celaya, 36, of St. Louis City;
- Cindy Hinojo-Ruiz Ramos, 45, of St. Louis City;
- Norma Leticia Rivera-Hernandez, 33, of Phoenix, AZ; and
- Vanessa Eliserio, 33, of Phoenix, AZ
The previously sealed indictment of August 5, 2020, includes the following charges: (1) Leon-Barradas, Perez-Alonso, Ramirez-Villanos, Gomez-Celaya, and Hinoja-Ruiz Ramos are charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine; (2) Mejia-Palacios and Echevarria are charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of actual methamphetamine; and (3) Colmenero and Rivera-Hernandez, and Eliserio are charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
The indictment charges Echevarria with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Leon-Barradas is also charged with illegal reentry in to the United States after having been previously removed to Mexico. Gomez-Celaya is further charged with illegal reentry into the United States after having been previously removed to Honduras.
“This investigation shows that drug trafficking organizations have networks that extend across the country, and that DEA investigators, along with our federal partners of FBI, HSI and the Marshals, will follow those connections wherever they go,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. Callahan, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division. “With multiple arrests like in this case, the goal is to destroy the network and stop these organizations from peddling their poison in the streets of St. Louis.”
This case is being investigated by the following law enforcement agencies: The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service.
As is always the case, charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
These arrests were made as part of Operation Legend. Operation Legend was launched in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8, 2020, and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020; to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020; to St. Louis and Memphis on Aug. 6, 2020; and to Indianapolis on Aug. 14, 2020. As part of Operation Legend, Attorney General Barr has directed federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF to surge resources to these cities to help state and local officials fighting violent crime. The Department of Homeland Security is also contributing agents to these efforts in St. Louis.
Judge sentences St. Louis man for dealing drugs and being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced Miles Davis to 51 months in prison. The 36-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession with intent to distribute.
On October 9, 2019, officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) were patrolling the 4000 block of Pleasant and noticed Davis watching their patrol car suspiciously. While watching the patrol car, the officers noticed Davis grab his satchel and hide between two parked cars.
Concerned Davis was either grabbing or getting rid of a weapon, one SLMPD officer got out of the patrol car and approached Davis. As the officer approached, Davis removed a handgun from the satchel and threw it under one of the parked cars. The officer ordered Davis to come from between the parked cars, handcuffed Davis and advised him of his Miranda rights. Davis told the officer that when he saw the police he was scared, because he is a convicted felon.
A computer check verified Davis was a convicted felon. The handgun recovered from under the parked car is a Hi-Pointe 9mm caliber pistol with seven rounds of ammunition. Police also found multiple bags of cocaine base (crack) and fentanyl on Davis. Davis admitted he sold drugs and sold someone drugs in exchange for the pistol.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers investigated the case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office as part of the Safer Streets Initiative. Missouri Attorney General Schmitt and U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen launched the initiative in January of 2019 as an unprecedented state and federal partnership to prosecute violent crime in St. Louis.
More than 300 facing federal charges for crimes committed during nationwide demonstrationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Justice announced today that more than 300 individuals in 29 states and Washington, D.C., have been charged for crimes committed adjacent to or under the guise of peaceful demonstrations since the end of May.
To date, of the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs), more than 40 USAOs have filed federal charges alleging crimes ranging from attempted murder, assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson, burglary of a federally-licensed firearms dealer, damaging federal property, malicious destruction of property using fire or explosives, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of a destructive device, inciting a riot, felony civil disorder, and others. Violent opportunists have exploited these demonstrations in various ways.
Approximately 80 individuals have been charged with offenses relating to arson and explosives. Approximately 15 individuals have been charged with damaging federal property. In some instances, these individuals are alleged to have set fires to local businesses as well as city and federal property, which will regrettably incur millions of taxpayer dollars to repair damages to the Portland Courthouse, Nashville Courthouse, Minneapolis Police Third Precinct, Seattle Police East Precinct, and local high school in Minnesota; and, to replace police cruisers in South Carolina, Washington, Rhode Island, Georgia, Utah, and other states.
Corporate and local businesses were also targeted, including a Target Corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, Boost Mobile Store in Milwaukee, Champ Sports Store in Tampa, and local restaurants including a pizza parlor in Los Angeles and a sushi bar in Santa Monica. Through these acts, these individuals have shown minimal regard to their communities and for the safety of others and themselves.
In Washington, D.C., outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, a man was engulfed in flames after he poured a liquid from a gas can onto three U.S. Supreme Court Police vehicles; he suffered severe burns. In Virginia Beach, authorities identified a man who is alleged to have threatened to burn down an African American church.
Approximately 35 individuals have been charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer and related offenses. One of these cases was charged in Massachusetts; the rest of these individuals were charged in Oregon. The assaults have targeted local and federal law enforcement officers. In Portland, a man is alleged to have approached a U.S. Marshals Deputy from behind and struck the deputy in the upper back, neck, and shoulder with a wooden baseball bat; another man, allegedly assaulted a Deputy U.S. Marshal with an explosive device. In Boston, a man allegedly shot at least 11 times toward officers, including a deputized federal officer.
Approximately 30 individuals have been charged with offenses related to civil disorder. In several instances, these individuals leveraged social media platforms to incite destruction and assaults against law enforcement officers. In Cleveland, two Pennsylvania men are charged with driving to the city with the intent to participate in a riot and commit acts of violence. In their possession, authorities found a black backpack containing a hammer, two containers of Sterno Firestarter Instant Flame Gel, a can of spray paint, a glass bottle of liquor with a bar-style pour top, a Glock semi-automatic firearm and two magazines loaded with ammunition. In Knoxville, one individual allegedly instructed his social media followers to, “bring hammers bricks whatever you want.” The same defendant allegedly used a trashcan lid filled with an unknown liquid to strike a law enforcement officer in the head while the officer was seated in a police vehicle.
Charges have also been filed against individuals accused of committing burglary and carjacking. In Pittsburgh, two individuals allegedly attempted to burglarize a Dollar Bank. In Louisville, two individuals were charged with conspiracy to commit burglary involving controlled substances at a local Walgreens. Another Louisville individual was charged with carjacking; at the time of the carjacking, the individual was on a felony diversion as a result of a February 2020 conviction for charges that were initially filed as complicity to murder and complicity to robbery.
Several of these charges carry significant maximum prison sentences. For example, felony assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Arson is punishable by up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
The following agencies and U.S. Attorney’s offices have investigated these cases along with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies: The FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and United States Attorneys’ Offices (including the District of Arizona, the Central District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the District of Colorado, the District of Columbia, the District of Delaware, the Middle District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the Central District of Illinois, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, the Middle District of Louisiana, the District of Maine, the District of Massachusetts, the District of Minnesota, the Eastern District of Missouri, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nevada, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Western District of New York, the Eastern District of North Carolina, the District of North Dakota, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, the District of Oregon, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the District of Rhode Island, the District of South Carolina, the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Middle District of Tennessee, the Northern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of Utah, the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Washington, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Western District of Wisconsin).
The ATF and FBI continue to urge the public to report suspected arson, use of explosive devices, or violent, destructive acts associated with the recent unrest. Anyone with information can call 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), email [email protected], or submit information anonymously via ReportIt.com.
In addition to those who commit fires, the FBI is looking for people who may have incited or promoted violence of any kind. Anyone with digital material or tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit images or videos at FBI.gov/violence.
An indictment and criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Judge sentences St. Louis man to 15 years in prison for robbing Papa John’s and Subway at gunpointRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO –Braylon Roberts, 23, of St. Louis, MO, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in robbing Subway and Papa John’s and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of robbery. Roberts appeared in federal court today before United States District Judge John R. Ross.
According to court documents, on August 16, 2018, Roberts and co-defendant Terrance Cole entered the Subway restaurant located on Lewis and Clark Boulevard in Jennings, Missouri. Roberts displayed a handgun. Cole, who was carrying a backpack, walked to the cash register and directed a Subway employee to give him the money in the cash drawer. Upon entering the Subway, Roberts displayed a firearm and knocked a patron to the ground, causing injury to that victim. Roberts then followed Cole to the counter and pointed his firearm directly at the employee. The employee complied with the demand to give Cole money. Cole placed the money in the backpack, after which time Roberts and Cole left the Subway.
On August 18, 2018, Roberts and Cole entered a Papa Johns restaurant located on N. Tucker Boulevard in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. Roberts displayed a handgun as he entered the Papa Johns and ordered all of the patrons to the floor, dragging one of the patrons along the floor. Cole, carrying a backpack, approached the Papa Johns employee at the cash register and demanded money from the employee. The employee gave Cole the money from the cash drawer and he placed the money in the back pack.
When Roberts and Cole left the Papa Johns following the robbery, they entered a gold Nissan Maxima and departed the scene. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (“SLMPD”) Real Time Crime Center was able to review surveillance video of the area surrounding the Papa Johns and capture a photo of the vehicle, including the license plate. On Sunday, August 19, 2019, SLMPD officers spotted the vehicle and stopped it for further investigation. The driver of the vehicle was the sister of Braylon Roberts. A consent search of the vehicle revealed Braylon Roberts’s identification card in the vehicle. Roberts was one of the perpetrators in the surveillance video of the Papa John’s robbery.
Co-defendant Terrance Cole was sentenced in February to 68 months in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Behrens prosecuted this case.
Grand Jury indicts Chesterfield psychiatrist and business partner in health care fraud and money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – Dr. Franco Sicuro, of Chesterfield, Missouri, and Carlos Himpler, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were indicted on multiple charges of conspiracy and health care fraud charges. The indictment charges that as part of a fraud scheme Genotec DX and Midwest Toxicology Group, owned by Dr. Sicuro and Carlos Himpler, received over $15 million dollars for clinical laboratory tests that Genotec DX and Midwest Toxicology Group did not perform.
According to the indictment, Dr. Sicuro and Carlos Himpler falsely represented to Medicare, United Health Care, Aetna-Coventry, Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and Cigna that Genotec DX and Midwest Toxicology Group had performed quantitative urine drug tests and genetic tests, although neither laboratory had the equipment to perform the tests. To carry out the fraud scheme, Dr. Sicuro and Carlos Himpler paid other clinical laboratories about $125 to perform tests on a single urine specimen. Genotec DX and Midwest Toxicology Group then marked-up the same tests and billed insurance companies thousands of dollars for the same tests. In many instances, Genotec DX and Midwest Toxicology Group unbundled tests, which should have been billed as one test, billed the tests separately, and were paid $30,000 to $50,000 for a single urine drug test. To avoid detection, reimbursement claims were submitted on different days for the same patient and date of service but included different billing codes.
One business affected by the fraud scheme was UFCW Local #655, which paid Genotec DX $1,086,450.87 for urine drug tests for 7 union members between January and October 2015. UFCW Local #655 also paid Midwest Toxicology Group $150,596.74. Unknown to UFCW Local #655 and the public and private health care insurers, Midwest Toxicology Group was not certified by state or federal agencies to operate as a clinical laboratory and had no testing equipment.
Conspiracy to defraud carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for each count and a fine of $250,000 or both. The health care fraud violations carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for each count and a fine of $250,000 or both. Restitution to the victims is also mandatory.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Meredith Reiter are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences felon to 60 months for possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey held a joint plea and sentencing hearing today for Damond Jackson. The 22-year-old defendant, a resident of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 60 months.
According to the plea agreement, on February 3, 2019, officers from the St. Louis County Police Department responded to a vehicular crash at the Exit Ramp of 6299 off Interstate 255. Officers discovered a 1998 Ford Escort that went off the road and into the grass embankment. The driver of the car, defendant Jackson, told officers on scene that his brakes went out and caused him to go off the road. Jackson also told officers he was the only one in the car. Inside of the vehicle, officers located a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with an extended magazine containing approximately 30 rounds of ammunition. While conducting a pat-down of Jackson, officers found an empty, black, mesh firearm holster. The investigation revealed that the firearm was stolen. Defendant Jackson is a prior convicted felon. According to the plea, Jackson admits knowing possession of the firearm.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ed Dowd prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences St. Louis man to more than nine years on cocaine and marijuana distribution chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Juan LaSalle Chase to more than nine years in federal prison. The 49 year old, a resident of St. Louis, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana.
According to the plea agreement, beginning in 2015 and continuing until March 2018, Chase joined in a conspiracy with four co-defendants to acquire and distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine and marijuana to distribute. Specifically, wiretaps and other enforcement actions revealed Chase sourced cocaine and marijuana to the co-defendants.
A search of Chase’s home, lead to investigators to among other things, three kilograms of cocaine, three firearms, ammunition, and $105,910 in drug proceeds. Searches at other locations associated with Chase and the conspiracy revealed bulk marijuana.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Casey prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences armed fentanyl trafficker and felon to eight years for firearms and narcotics violationsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Darrise Ball to 96 months in federal prison. The 33-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and being in possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On the evening of August 5, 2019, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives were patrolling in the area of Romaine Place and Hodiamont Avenue when a Nissan Rogue ran a stop sign and almost hit the detectives, who were driving an unmarked car. Detectives checked the Nissan’s license plate and learned the Nissan had been reported stolen. St. Louis officers activated their lights and sirens in an attempt to pull over the Nissan. Ball, who was driving the Nissan fled at a high rate of speed, violating traffic signs and causing people to run out of the street to avoid being hit. While turning at the intersection of Ridge and Hodiamont Avenues, the Nissan slid into a vacant lot at 6001 Ridge Avenue and came to a stop.
The front seat passenger fled from the Nissan. Ball crawled from the driver’s seat into the passenger’s seat and out of the passenger’s side door. Ball ran across a field while disobeying officers’ commands to stop. Detectives were able to catch Ball and arrest him.
The detectives searched the Nissan and discovered a 9mm Glock pistol with an extended magazine, loaded with 33 rounds, a .45 caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine, loaded with 28 rounds, and fentanyl and cocaine packaged in multiple individually wrapped plastic bags. It was further discovered the .45 Glock pistol had been reported stolen.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Attorney General William P. Barr Announces Updates on Operation LegendRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO -Attorney General William P. Barr announced, at a news conference in Milwaukee today, updates on Operation Legend.
Since Operation Legend’s launch in July 2020, more than 3,500 arrests – including approximately 200 for homicide – have been made; more than 1,000 firearms have been seized; and nearly 19 kilos of heroin, more than 11 kilos of fentanyl (enough to deliver more than five million fatal doses), more than 94 kilos of methamphetamine, nearly 14 kilos of cocaine, and more than $6.5 million in drug proceeds have been seized.
Of the more than 3,500 individuals arrested, approximately 815 have been charged with federal offenses. More than 440 of those defendants have been charged with firearms offenses, while more than 300 have been charged with drug-related crimes. The remaining defendants have been charged with various offenses.
The Attorney General launched the operation as a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime.
Breakdown of Operation Legend charges:
The initiative, which was first launched first in Kansas City, MO., on July 8, 2020, is named in honor of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while he slept early in the morning of June 29 in Kansas City. The operation was subsequently expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020; to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020; to St. Louis and Memphis on August 6, 2020; and to Indianapolis on August 14, 2020. A breakdown of the federal charges in each district is below.
Kansas City, MO.
147 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 54 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 80 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 13 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Chicago, IL.
150 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 37 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 108 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 5 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Albuquerque, NM.
60 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 23 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 30 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 7 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Cleveland, OH.
72 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 42 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 26 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 4 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Detroit, MI.
65 defendants have been charged with federal offenses outlined below.
- 16 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 46 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 3 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Milwaukee, WI.
47 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 24 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 19 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 4 defendant has been charged with other violent crimes.
St. Louis, MO.
205 defendants have been charged with federal crimes.
- 93 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 90 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 22 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Memphis, TN.
27 defendants have been charged with federal offenses.
- 10 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 13 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 4 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
Indianapolis, IN.
45 defendants have been charged with federal crimes outlined below.
- 7 defendants have been charged with narcotics-related offenses;
- 33 defendants have been charged with firearms-related offenses; and
- 5 defendants have been charged with other violent crimes.
UK National Sentenced to Prison for Role in “the Dark Overlord” Hacking GroupRead the Press Release
A United Kingdom national pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit aggravated identity theft and computer fraud, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie White for the Eastern District of Missouri sentenced Nathan Wyatt, 39, who participated in a computer hacking collective known as “The Dark Overlord,” which targeted victims in the St. Louis area beginning in 2016. Wyatt was extradited from the United Kingdom to the Eastern District of Missouri in December 2019. Judge White also ordered Wyatt to pay $1,467,048 in restitution.
“Nathan Wyatt used his technical skills to prey on Americans’ private data and exploited the sensitive nature of their medical and financial records for his own personal gain,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty plea and sentence demonstrate the department’s commitment to ensuring that hackers who seek to profit by illegally invading the privacy of Americans will be found and held accountable, no matter where they may be located.”
“The Dark Overlord has victimized innumerable employers in the United States, many of them repeatedly, said U.S Attorney Jeff Jensen of the Eastern District of Missouri. “I am grateful to the victims who came forward despite ransom threats and to the prosecutors and agents who were the first to catch and punish a member of The Dark Overlord in the United States.”
“Cyber hackers mistakenly believe they can hide behind a keyboard,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. “In this case, the FBI demonstrated once again that it will impose consequences on cyber criminals no matter how long it takes or where they are located.”
Wyatt admitted that, beginning in 2016, he was a member of The Dark Overlord, a hacking group that was responsible for remotely accessing the computer networks of multiple U.S. companies without authorization. Victims in the Eastern District of Missouri included healthcare providers, accounting firms, and others. Wyatt admitted that The Dark Overlord co-conspirators acted by obtaining sensitive data from victim companies, including patient medical records and personal identifying information, and then threatening to release the companies’ stolen data unless the companies paid a ransom of between $75,000 and $350,000 in bitcoin.
Wyatt further admitted that he participated in the conspiracy by creating, validating, and maintaining communication, payment, and virtual private network accounts that were used in the course of the scheme to, among other things, send threatening and extortionate messages to victims within the Eastern District of Missouri.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. Support was also provided by the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the extradition of Wyatt. The department thanks law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom, including the Metropolitan Police Service, for their substantial assistance in the investigation.
Senior Counsel Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Judge sentences UK National for role in ‘Dark Overlord’ Hacking GroupRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – A United Kingdom national pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit aggravated identity theft and computer fraud, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie White for the Eastern District of Missouri sentenced Nathan Wyatt, 39, who participated in a computer hacking collective known as “The Dark Overlord,” which targeted victims in the St. Louis area beginning in 2016. Wyatt was extradited from the United Kingdom to the Eastern District of Missouri in December 2019. Judge White also ordered Wyatt to pay $1,467,048 in restitution.
“Nathan Wyatt used his technical skills to prey on Americans’ private data and exploited the sensitive nature of their medical and financial records for his own personal gain,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s guilty plea and sentence demonstrate the department’s commitment to ensuring that hackers who seek to profit by illegally invading the privacy of Americans will be found and held accountable, no matter where they may be located.”
“The Dark Overlord has victimized innumerable employers in the United States, many of them repeatedly, said U.S Attorney Jeff Jensen of the Eastern District of Missouri. “I am grateful to the victims who came forward despite ransom threats and to the prosecutors and agents who were the first to catch and punish a member of the Dark Overlord in the United States.”
“Cyber hackers mistakenly believe they can hide behind a keyboard,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. “In this case, the FBI demonstrated once again that it will impose consequences on cyber criminals no matter how long it takes or where they are located.”
Wyatt admitted that, beginning in 2016, he was a member of The Dark Overlord, a hacking group that was responsible for remotely accessing the computer networks of multiple U.S. companies without authorization. Victims in the Eastern District of Missouri included healthcare providers, accounting firms, and others. Wyatt admitted that The Dark Overlord co-conspirators acted by obtaining sensitive data from victim companies, including patient medical records and personal identifying information, and then threatening to release the companies’ stolen data unless the companies paid a ransom of between $75,000 and $350,000 in bitcoin.
Wyatt further admitted that he participated in the conspiracy by creating, validating, and maintaining communication, payment, and virtual private network accounts that were used in the course of the scheme to, among other things, send threatening and extortionate messages to victims within the Eastern District of Missouri.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. Support was also provided by the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the extradition of Wyatt. The department thanks law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom, including the Metropolitan Police Service, for their substantial assistance in the investigation.
Senior Counsel Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
Jury convicts fentanyl dealer of distribution causing deathRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – On September 17, 2020, at the conclusion of a four-day jury trial, Travis Broeker, 36, of St. Louis County, was found guilty of the crimes of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey has set sentencing for January 6, 2021 at 11:30 a.m.
The evidence at trial established that on February 28, 2018, at approximately 7:06 p.m., Broeker met the victim on a parking lot of a convenience store and sold him six fentanyl capsules. The victim returned to his residence in 2800 block of Telegraph, ingested fentanyl, and overdosed. The victim’s roommate called 911 at 7:27 p.m. The victim was successfully treated with NARCAN, and released from the hospital late in the evening of February 28. While the victim was in the hospital, his roommate confiscated his remaining fentanyl and his cell phone for the victim’s safety.
The victim returned home around midnight where he and his roommate spoke with each other before the roommate went to sleep. During the early morning hours of March 1, the victim’s roommate found him unresponsive, in a fetal position. The same paramedics who treated him the previous night responded a second time, and determined that he was “beyond help.” The victim was pronounced dead at 6:08 a.m., on March 1.
St. Louis County Police investigators obtained the victim’s remaining fentanyl and cell phone from his roommate. The police used an undercover detective purporting to be the victim’s friend to contact Broeker, who agreed to distribute additional fentanyl to the victim and the undercover detective. Broeker enlisted co-defendant Pamela Barton to deliver 20 capsules of fentanyl to the undercover detective. Barton unwittingly contacted the police to make the fentanyl delivery and was arrested. Investigators later arrested Broeker, who admitted distributing fentanyl to the victim.
On January 15, 2020, Judge Autrey sentenced Barton to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Distribution of fentanyl resulting in death is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 20 years imprisonment up to life. Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, and the range of punishment for both offenses includes a fine of up to $1,000,000.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nauman Wadalawala prosecuted this case for the United States.
Grand jury indicts two Jefferson County Chiropractors and eight others for fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – Dr. Thomas Hobbs and Dr. Vivian Carbone-Hobbs of Jefferson County were indicted with two members of their office staff, a former union representative of Anheuser-Busch In Bev, and five patients with conspiring to fraudulently obtain disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and disability insurance payments from providers of long-term and short-term disability insurance. The indictment charges Dr. Hobbs, Dr. Carbone-Hobbs, Clarissa Pogue, Christina Barrera, James Ralston, Elizabeth Guetersloh, Glenda Johnson, Sheila Huffman, Shannon Nenninger, and Gary Walesky with various violations including: conspiracy to defraud; health care fraud; and, theft of government funds.
According to the indictment, the defendants exaggerated the patients’ medical conditions and ability to care for themselves in order to qualify for the government disability benefits and the private insurance disability payments. The chiropractors also required their patients to undergo excessive medical treatments and diagnostic evaluations beyond what was medically necessary to pad their medical records. Beginning as early as 2011, AB In-Bev employees sought the chiropractors’ assistance because it permitted them to fraudulently obtain Social Security disability insurance benefit payments, a long-term disability insurance payment of $100,000.00 from Prudential Insurance Companies, and long-term and short-term disability benefits through Met-Life. In exchange, his patients paid him as much as $3,000.00 for each of the types of disability payments they were seeking in addition to insurance payments he collected from Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Health Care and payment for unreimbursed services from the patients.
The losses resulting from the false and fraudulent statements to the Social Security Administration and the private insurance disability providers exceeded $12,000,000.
Conspiracy to defraud carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for each count and a fine of $250,000 or both. The health care fraud violations and the theft of government fund violations carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for each count and a fine of $250,000 or both. Restitution to the victims is also mandatory.
In a separate indictment, the federal grand jury also charged Dr. Thomas Hobbs with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. That violation carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 or both.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Dorothy McMurtry and Tracy Berry are handling the cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Because the Social Security Administration provides benefits through the Disability Insurance Benefit Program to more than 8.4 million individuals a year at a monthly rate of more than $10.4 million, the Social Security Administration accepts reports of those suspected of committing fraud against the program through the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General Hotline at: 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report/.
Grand jury indicts St. Louis County woman who made false claims to MedicaidRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – On September 17, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Yvonne Woods on three counts of making false, fictitious or fraudulent claims. The 50 year old is a resident of St. Louis County.
According to the indictment, between January 2014 and May 2019, Woods claimed to be homebound and in need of receiving home health care benefits funded by the Missouri Medicaid program.
The indictment states that Woods arranged to receive and continue to receive home health care from the program through a local home health care company. As part of the arrangement, Woods underwent training and signed timesheets on a regular basis.
Initially, Woods received some health care services from an attendant. However, in October 2014, the attendant obtained a full-time job with another employer and stopped provided services to Woods. Later, Woods set-up a bank account using the attendant’s name with the defendant’s contact information. Woods submitted false timesheets on a weekly basis, and received the payments. When Medicaid paid the claims, without knowing the false and fraudulent nature, Woods obtained and spent the money from the account using the attendant’s name. Woods used the money to pay for utilities, a cell phone bill, food, and other expenses.
“Medicaid funds are vital to providing beneficiaries with critical health and human services. Therefore, these funds must be carefully guarded,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Siphoning money from this program is a disservice to Missouri beneficiaries and the taxpayers who fund such programs.”
For each count, Woods faces a maximum punishment five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Woods is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The MO Healthnet program, with assistance from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.
Grand Jury indicts St. Louis man for several armed robberiesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO - St. Louis – On September 17, 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Louquincy Carr for four counts of armed business robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm in connection with those robberies, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The 35-year-old St. Louis resident was previously charged by a federal complaint regarding one of these robberies.
According to the criminal complaint, on July 24, 2020, Carr entered a T-Mobile store located on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis. Carr looked at some display phones before approaching the counter. At the counter, an employee showed Carr what appeared to be an iPhone in its box. Then, Carr pointed a silver handgun at the employee and demanded money from the register while also placing the boxed phone into his pants pocket. The employee complied and gave Carr the money. Thereafter, Carr forced the employee into the back office at gunpoint. Carr then fled the store on foot.
According to Court documents, digital surveillance video captured the following image documenting the robbery.
According to court documents, on August 4, 2020, Carr entered the same T-Mobile store and looked around for a short time. He approached an employee, produced a silver handgun and demanded money from the register. The employee compiled and removed money from the cash drawer. After taking money and the wallet, Carr led two employees and two customers into a back room at gunpoint.
According to Court documents, digital surveillance video captured the following image documenting the robbery.
According to Court documents, on August 14, Carr entered a Boost Mobile store, located at 3706 South Grand Boulevard and approached the employee at the register. After the employee and Carr had a conversation, Carr produced a silver handgun and demanded money. The employee complied and removed money from the register. After taking the money from the first employee, Carr turned to a second employee and demanded money from the second employee. Carr then ordered the two employees to a back office, at gunpoint. Once in the back office, asked where the “good phones” were and forced an employee, at gunpoint, to put multiple phones into a bag Carr had with him. After the bag was filled, Carr ordered the two employees into the bathroom and ran out the back door.
According to Court documents, digital surveillance video captured the following image documenting the robbery.
According to Court documents, on August 25, 2020, a male entered a Wingstop Restaurant, located at 3626 South Grand Boulevard, in St. Louis. Carr entered the restaurant and walked near the counter. Carr waited for a short period of time, walked behind the counter, removed a silver handgun from his pocket and pointed it employees. Carr ordered an employee to open the register and remove the money. The employee complied and handed the money from the register to Carr. Carrt then ordered an employee to open the safe. The employee complied and handed Carr money from the safe. Carr took the money and ordered all store employees into a back room of the restaurant. Once all employees were in the back room, Carr ordered two employees to open the back door at which time the male fled from the restaurant.
According to Court documents, digital surveillance video captured the following image documenting the robbery.
According to court documents, forensic evidence led to the identification of Carr. Court documents further reflect that on September 10, 2020, Carr was taken into custody by law enforcement and search warrants were executed at two different residences at which the Carr is known to stay. Located during the execution of the search warrant was a silver handgun that appeared to be consistent with the gun the Carr used during the charged robbery.
This investigation is part of Operation LeGend, which is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in St. Louis in 2020.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. The case was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) Jen Szczucinski as part of the Safer Streets Initiative. The initiative was launched by Attorney General Schmitt and U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen in January of 2019 as an unprecedented state and federal partnership to prosecute violent crime in St. Louis.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wayne County man pleads guilty to a firearm charge and attempted witness tamperingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark accepted a plea, today, from Donald W. Sanders. The 62-year-old Williamsville resident pleaded guilty to one felony count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and one felony count of Attempting to Intimidate or Threaten a Government Witness.
According to court records, on January 14, 2019, Sanders was inside a white Ford pick-up truck driven by another person. Officers tried to stop the truck, but the driver drove away. Eventually, the truck crashed and officers arrested Sanders and the driver. Officers found four firearms in the truck and recovered another rifle thrown from the truck during the chase. Officers later found a handgun in a motel room in Poplar Bluff shared by Sanders and the driver. It was determined; all of the firearms were stolen from residences in Butler County, Missouri.
On February 9, 2019, while incarcerated in the Butler County Jail, Sanders had a recorded conversation with a visitor. During the conversation, Sanders learned a female acquaintance was a possible witness against him for the firearm charge. Sanders expressed a concern the charge might be charged in federal court. Sanders made a statement to the visitor that the visitor should tell the woman, “Black River is very cold right now.” Sanders later admitted his statement was an attempt to persuade the woman not to testify as to the facts in the firearm charge.
Sanders has prior convictions for Escape from Custody in the Circuit Court of Wayne County, MO and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The Butler County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences cartel-connected drug dealer to 25 years for trying to establish cocaine pipeline from Mexico to St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – Chief United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Roy William Burris, Jr., 40, of Paramount, California, to 25 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
On February 12, 2020, at the conclusion of a 10-day jury trial, Burris was found guilty of the crime of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and the jury further found that the quantity of cocaine involved in the conspiracy attributable to Burris was five kilograms or more.
Trial evidence established that this was an organized crime conspiracy in which Burris and others purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine in multi-kilogram amounts for further distribution and sale. As part of the conspiracy, Burris, operating in Southern California and elsewhere, obtained bulk quantities of cocaine from suppliers with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Burris then organized multi-kilogram sales of cocaine to others for further distribution.
Burris was originally arrested at the Long Beach Airport in California on February 29, 2016, en route to St. Louis, carrying a loaded handgun, seven cellular phones, drug ledgers reflecting hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of drug transactions, and other indicia of drug trafficking. Following his release in California, Burris continued to traffic cocaine and was arrested again on March 30, 2016, in Hawaiian Gardens, California, in possession of 5 kilograms of cocaine and approximately $150,000 in U.S. Currency. Burris was again released and ultimately traveled to Culiacán, Mexico, to meet with members of the Sinaloa Cartel about distributing bulk amounts of cocaine in St. Louis, Missouri. On September 7, 2016, Burris, along with other members of the conspiracy, succeeded in having approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine shipped via UPS to the Silver Lining bar in South St. Louis. DEA agents were able to successfully intercept the shipment, and Burris was subsequently arrested in California.
At the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Sippel discussed the seriousness of the offense, including the immeasurable and tragic consequences of Burris’s distribution of over 100 kilograms of cocaine into American communities, and noting the countless families who have lost a loved one to addiction and illegal drugs.
At the time Burris participated in the instant conspiracy, he was on probation for a prior drug trafficking offense committed in Kentucky.
This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, specifically DEA Chicago, DEA St. Louis, DEA Los Angeles; the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; LA IMPACT (Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force); California State Highway Patrol; ICE (Homeland Security Investigations, Los Angeles, CA); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (San Ysidro, CA); and the Long Beach Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri with assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Judge Sentences Lake St. Louis Man for scheming to defraud NFL PlayerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Catherine Perry sentenced Abayomi Martin to 15 months in prison. The 43-year-old Lake St. Louis resident pleaded guilty, in March, to one count of wire fraud relative to a scheme to defraud and obtain money from Dallas Cowboy’s player Brandon Carr. Martin was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim in the amount of $261,194.71
Martin solicited an investment from Brandon Carr for a purported part ownership in a clothing company known as Famous Nobodys. Martin falsely represented to Carr he had an ownership interest in Famous Nobodys, and Carr’s investment would provide Carr a 17.5% ownership interest in the clothing company.
On September 12, 2016, after Martin presented him with what appeared to be a legitimate operating agreement setting out Carr’s purported ownership interest in Famous Nobodys, Carr wired $250,000 to Martin for the purpose of owning as an equity holder and operating Famous Nobodys. However, the true owner of Famous Nobodys never knew of this purported agreement by Martin, never received any of Carr’s investment money and never agreed to turn over any ownership interest in Famous Nobodys to Martin. Instead, Martin used the investment funds provided by Brandon Carr for his own personal use and expenses, including cash withdrawals and personal credit card payments. Martin also used a portion of Brandon Carr’s funds to pay for the expenses and training costs of several professional boxers in Las Vegas, Nevada, all without the knowledge and authority of Carr.
Martin continued the fraud by sending Carr false email communications and text messages purporting to update him on Carr’s purported investment in Famous Nobodys. Brandon Carr had intended to use any profits from his investment in Famous Nobodys to fund his broad based charitable foundation, Carr Cares. Instead, Carr never received any funds back from Martin, who fraudulently used Carr’s entire investment for personal expenses and uses unrelated to any true investment in Famous Nobodys.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
St. Louis doctor pleads guilty to distribution of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge John A. Ross accepted a plea, today, from 48-year-old Ashu Joshi. Joshi, a St. Louis resident, pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography.
According to a plea agreement, Joshi was 46 years old and a doctor when he began a relationship with a 16-year-old girl. Joshi met the girl through her mother. The mother was a former patient of the doctor’s in Kentucky. The doctor and victim had sex and took pornographic pictures. Both exchanged photos over Facebook messenger.
In October 2018, a St. Louis County Police Officer received four cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tips were first to the Bowling Green, KY Police Department. The BGPD then asked St. Louis County Police for help after investigators learned one of the parties lived in St. Louis County.
The tip told investigators, between August and September 2018, a Facebook account linked to the doctor uploaded and sent several pictures containing child pornography.
The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of no more than $250,000.
Judge Ross has set sentencing for October 7, 2020.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis County Police Department and the Regional Computer Crimes Education and Enforcement Group investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Colleen Lang and Investigator Donya Jackson are handling the case for the United States Attorney’s Office.
Judge sentences St. Louis man for robbing 12 businessesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced Justin McGee to 18 years in prison for robbing a dozen businesses. The 39-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty in February to 12 robberies.
On September 12, 2018, McGee, armed with a firearm, entered the Cricket Wireless store located at 10006 W. Florissant, approached an employee, and stated that he needed a phone repaired. While the employee was looking at the phone, McGee pulled a firearm from his pocket, pointed it at the employee and demanded he open the cash register. The employee was ordered to the floor as McGee stole money from the register and then fled the store.
On October 10, 2018, McGee entered the Game Stop on Maplewood Commons Drive armed with a firearm, pointed it at the employee and demanded she open the cash register. After grabbing money from the register, McGee ordered the employee to the ground and left.
On October 12, 2018, McGee entered the T-Mobile store on N. Highway 67, engaged an employee in conversation, pointed a firearm at her and told her he would kill her. He then confronted the store manager and had both employees lie on the floor. McGee had one of the employees crawl to the office to show him where the cash was located. McGee took money and left the store.
On October 17, 2018, McGee entered the Game Stop located on South Kingshighway, engaged an employee in conversation, pushed him to the floor as he pointed a firearm at him and demanded the cash register be opened. A second employee opened the register. McGee grabbed the store’s money and left the store.
On October 19, 2018, McGee entered the Boost Mobile store on Manchester, rushed toward an employee and pointed a firearm at her. He pushed her to the floor and poked her back with the firearm. She opened the cash register. McGee grabbed the store’s money and ran out the door.
On November 23, 2018, McGee entered the Smoothie King on Forest Park as the employees were preparing to close for the day. McGee placed his hand in his pocket as if he had a firearm and told them he wanted no problems. After he ordered the employees to kneel on the floor, McGee grabbed the store’s money and left.
On December 15, 2018, McGee entered Kings Beauty Supply on Aubert and engaged an employee in a conversation about a hair clipper. McGee produced a firearm and announced a robbery. Pointing the firearm at two employees, McGee ordered one to lie on the ground. He grabbed the store’s money and hair clippers and left the store.
On February 4, 2019, McGee entered the Boost Mobile Store in North Oaks Plaza and engaged an employee in a conversation before pulling out his firearm and walking behind the counter. The employee pulled his own firearm and fired a shot striking McGee in the head. McGee was able to flee.
On March 7, 2019, McGee entered the BP gas station on Olive Road and began to climb over the counter to open the cash register. As he climbed over the counter, he pointed an air pistol at the employee. A fight ensued. The employee was able to grab the air pistol and McGee ran from the store.
On March 26, 2019, McGee entered the Family Dollar on North Grand, approached a cashier and told her to open her cash drawer. When she told him she could not, he pointed a caliber firearm at her. At that time, the manager opened the cash register. McGee took money and fled the store.
On March 29, 2019, McGee entered the Qdoba Restaurant on Lindell and approached the cashier as if to place a food order. McGee brandished a firearm and demanded money. McGee took money and left the store.
On April 7, 2019, McGee entered the Dollar Tree on Aubert, approached the cashier and told him not to “trip” as he pointed a firearm at him. The cashier gave McGee money and McGee left the store.
The Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Mehan is handling the case.
Judge sentences Charleston, South Carolina man to 80 months in prison for child enticementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States Judge John A. Ross sentenced Ryan Palmieri to 80 months in prison for child enticement. The 37 year old is a resident of Charleston, South Carolina.
Palmieri traveled, in January 2019, from South Carolina to the St. Louis area to meet the victim who he had previously met through a cellular phone application. The victim, at the time, was 13 years old. During his six-day stay in the St. Louis area, Palmieri rented an Airbnb and engaged in several sexual acts, including sexual intercourse, with teenager.
On April 29, 2019, Palmieri traveled from South Carolina to the St. Louis area to meet the 13 year old for a second encounter. Again, Palmieri rented an Airbnb and engaged in several sexual acts, including sexual intercourse, with the victim.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis County Police Department, Jefferson County Police Department and the St. Louis Child Exploitation Task Force diligently investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen Announces $532,265 Award to Improve School Safety in the Eastern District of MissouriRead the Press Release
St. Louis– U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen announced that Bayless Consolidated School District, Maries County R-1 School District and Schuyler County R-1 received $532,265 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). Nationally, the COPS Office SVPP awarded nearly $50 million in school safety funding. SVPP provides up to 75% funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools and school grounds. The amounts awarded in Eastern Missouri are:
Bayless Consolidated School District - $416,746
Maries County R-1 School District - $88,568
Schuyler County R-1 - $26,951
“With the new school year underway, the safety of our nation’s students remains paramount,” said COPS Office Director Phil Keith. “Although this school year may look different at the start, now is the ideal time to make preparations to enhance school safety for when all of our children are back in the classroom.”
The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office authority to provide awards directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies (such as school districts and law enforcement agencies) to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs. The three awards announced today can be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and other measures that provide a significant improvement in security. The full list of SVPP awards can be found here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/svpp/Award_List.pdf.
In addition to the school safety grants announced today, the COPS Office School Safety Working Group, which is composed of representatives from eight national law enforcement organizations, has identified 10 essential actions that can be taken by schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help prevent critical incidents involving the loss of life or injuries in our nation's schools and to respond rapidly and effectively when incidents do occur. The Ten Essential Actions to Improve School Safety are applicable to school shootings as well as to other areas of school safety, including natural disasters and traumatic events such as student suicide. Adopting policies and practices based on the recommendations in this publication can help make school communities safer and save lives.
*******
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.