Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Florida Man Sentenced for Defrauding Missouri Company, Others out of More Than $250,000Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man who defrauded three companies out of $257,000 to 15 months in prison and ordered him to repay his victims.
Nadeem Gul, 54, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of wire fraud. He admitted claiming to represent wholesale distributors of merchandise including grocery items and electronics. The companies used the names Mega Liquidations Group, Mega Liquidations Warehouse and Mega Liquidations Corp.
In late 2021, an employee of a Maryland Heights company began communicating by email with someone claiming to be an “executive senior partner” at Mega Liquidations Group. The victim submitted nine purchase orders and wired a total of $112,000 but never received any merchandise.
A Phoenix, Arizona company responded to a solicitation email from Mega Liquidations Group by submitting two purchase orders and wiring $30,376 in November of 2021. They never received any merchandise from Mega Liquidations Group.
In June of 2021, a Ft. Worth, Texas company received a solicitation email from Mega Liquidations Warehouse, submitted five purchase orders and wired a total of $115,000. They also never received any product.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case.
Five Romanians Sentenced for Installing ATM Skimming DevicesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five Romanian nationals have been sentenced for installing skimming devices on St. Louis area ATMs to harvest bank account information from customers.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Mihai Vlaicu, 48, and Mihai Florin Marinescu, 38, on Friday to two years in prison. Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, 34, Nelu Nae, 37, and Venera Isabelle Dumitru, 28, were sentenced to the time that they already spent in federal custody while awaiting trial. All will likely be deported when they complete any prison time they receive in their St. Louis case and any pending cases elsewhere in the country.
All five pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A sixth person indicted in the case, Ianus Nita, 53, has not yet been arrested.
Around January of 2024, Vlaicu and Marinescu began installing skimming devices in the St. Louis area. They installed them on at least two bank ATMs, one in Clayton and one in Frontenac and began using cloned cards to try and withdraw cash. Marinescu unsuccessfully tried to install a skimming device on an ATM in south St. Louis County, and then successfully installed one on an ATM in Wildwood. On May 28, Marinescu and Nae installed a skimming device on an ATM in St. Louis, but law enforcement found and removed it.
The conspirators were using an Airbnb in St. Louis County as a base. Investigators found a laptop computer containing hundreds of videos of customers entering their PINs at ATMs outfitted with a skimming device. They also found skimming devices, installation tools, a large amount of cash and numerous gift cards at the rented residence.
The conspirators were successful in stealing about $5,200 from 11 victims. Judge Pitlyk ordered them to repay the money.
The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Webster Groves Police Department, the Clayton Police Department and the Frontenac Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.
Two Men Admit Role in St. Louis Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men caught with pounds of fentanyl and other drugs have pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge.
Dennis M. Davis, 47, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. Shem J. Guy, 34, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in June. Both men admitted participating in a conspiracy to sell drugs that began at least as early as 2019.
During the investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration special agents caught David, Guy and their conspirators discussing drug purchases and sales. On Sept. 6, 2023, investigators conducted a court-approved search of a Davis “stash” house in St. Louis and found $12,323 in cash, four rifles, two pistols and a money counter. They also found 4.9 kilograms of fentanyl, almost a pound of marijuana, 285 grams of heroin, 168 grams of cocaine, 127 grams of cocaine base and 137 grams of meth. In Davis’ house, they recovered three pistols and fentanyl.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, and Guy on October 1. Davis faces a potential penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Guy faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million or both prison and a fine.
Both men have also agreed to forfeit cash, firearms and a 2020 Ram 1500 Big Horn truck that were seized during the investigation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Bridgeton Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two Indicted, Accused of Harboring AliensRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two St. Charles County residents were indicted by a grand jury Wednesday and accused of harboring illegal aliens.
Guo Liang Ye, 56, of St. Charles County and De Jin Ye, 56, were each indicted on one felony count of bringing in and harboring aliens. The indictment says they concealed the aliens from detection, knowing that they were in the United States illegally.
Both were arrested Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.
A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man to 78 months in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices and in a cloud account.
Judge Ross also ordered Davie John Metzger, 55, of O’Fallon, Missouri, to pay $24,000 in restitution to the victims that have been identified in the material he possessed, as well as $40,000 that will go to other child pornography victims and victim services.
Metzger possessed 369 images of child sexual abuse material on a flash drive, 24 images on a hard drive, 211 in an online cloud storage account and 343 on a cell phone. Metzger’s conduct triggered three CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A court-approved search of his online account revealed photos that he’d surreptitiously taken of women and girls in public places.
Metzger pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in April to one count of receipt of child pornography.
The FBI and the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Fentanyl Sale that Killed St. Louis County Woman Leads to 15-Year Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who admitted selling the fentanyl that killed a St. Louis County, Missouri woman to 15 years in prison.
Forrest L. Smith, 37, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and two counts of distribution of fentanyl.
The victim was found dead in her bedroom on Oct. 5, 2021. Investigators found four capsules containing fentanyl, and messages on her phone showing that she bought drugs from Smith the day before via an intermediary, Smith’s plea agreement says. In November 2021, an undercover officer began texting Smith, and on Nov. 8, 2021, purchased fentanyl from Smith. The officer bought more fentanyl eight days later.
The Drug Enforcement Administration seized over 55.5 million fentanyl pills and 7,800 pounds of fentanyl last year. Half of the pills tested by DEA contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. There were more than 258,000 opiate overdose deaths between 2013 and 2021, primarily due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, according to the DEA.
The FBI and the Town and Country Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Granger prosecuted the case.
St. Louis Man Admits Moderating Child Pornography Chat RoomRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted acting as one of the moderators of an online chat group that shared child sexual abuse material.
David Korte Daues, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography.
The investigation began with a Cyber Tipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the messaging app Kik. The account was traced to Daues, and FBI special agents interviewed him at work. Daues admitted operating the account that triggered the tip. He also told the FBI that he was the moderator of a group on the Wire platform which regularly posted child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Daues said he began viewing CSAM about four years earlier and was in about 25 Kik groups and five Wire groups that shared CSAM. Daues admitted distributing CSAM in these groups. He also had images and videos containing CSAM on two cell phones.
Daues is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Georgia Woman Admits Defrauding Missouri, Kansas Victims with Law Enforcement Spoofing ScamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from the Atlanta area on Wednesday admitted aiding scammers pretending to be law enforcement officers.
Ariel Burden, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. She admitted being part of a group that called victims from phone numbers that appeared to be associated with local law enforcement. The “spoofers” claimed to be law enforcement officers or affiliated with law enforcement and told victims that they had outstanding warrants for missing court appearances. They also falsely claimed that victims needed to pay thousands of dollars to a bondswoman to avoid being arrested. The scammers stayed in contact with the victims until they met with the supposed bondswoman, Burden. Burden, who called herself “Jennifer Davis,” collected the money and provided victims with a receipt that contained fake citation numbers and other false information.
In one example in Burden’s plea agreement, a scammer called a Jefferson County, Missouri victim on Feb. 28, 2024, while pretending to be with the Crystal City Police Department. The victim arrived at Crystal City’s City Hall and paid Burden $12,000 for “bond.” Burden then handed over a receipt with the bogus citation number “ft9 CV 1892 COC CV 1893,” a line noting that the payment had been made to the “Crystal City Court” and a line indicating that
The payment had been accepted by “Jennifer Davis.”In all, Burden admitted defrauding three victims, including two in Kansas, out of a total of $28,000.
Burden is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2026. The wire fraud charge carries potential penalty of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. Burden will also be ordered to repay the money.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, in conjunction with the Jefferson County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office and the McPherson, Kansas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Former St. Louis County Man Indicted and Accused of Lottery Scam 6 Years Ago Has Been ArrestedRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man indicted nearly six years ago and accused of participating in a Jamaican lottery scam has been arrested, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Wednesday.
Christopher Gibbon, 54, was initially charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on July 26, 2018, and later indicted in December 2019 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud, four counts of mail fraud and one count of bank fraud.
The indictment says that between Dec. 1, 2016, and July of 2018, Gibbon participated in a scheme in which victims were contacted by phone and email and falsely told that they had won the lottery. Victims were then told that they needed to send money to pay the taxes on their winnings. Gibbon received payments from at least four victims and then forwarded some of that money to co-conspirators in Jamaica, the indictment says. In one example listed in the indictment, a North Carolina resident sent $50,000 to Gibbon's address.
A motion seeking to have Gibbon held in jail until trial says that on July 20, 2018, less than two days after he was interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors, Gibbon told his wife that he was going to work but did not show up there and did not return home.
The motion says he was living with a girlfriend in Springfield, Mass. under the name Raseqhenre Heedram but wore a name tag reading Amos Johnson when he was arrested by Postal Inspectors in Connecticut on Aug. 28, 2025.
Gibbon will be detained in jail until trial. On Wednesday, a judge in U.S. District Court in Hartford ordered him sent to St. Louis.
Charges set forth in an indictment or a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“This arrest proves the resolve and relentless pursuit Postal Inspectors have in bringing those who defraud victims to justice,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. “I commend our local, state, and federal partners who assisted in this case and arrest.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service Jamaica Foreign Field Office and the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
Two Sentenced to Prison for Laundering Sinaloa Cartel Drug ProceedsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced two men to prison for laundering money in the St. Louis area for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Judge Pitlyk sentenced Carl Von Garrett, 55, of St. Charles, Missouri, to 135 months in prison and Tobiyyah Israel, 39, of Ohio, to 36 months in prison in separate hearings. Both men were found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering. Von Garrett was also found guilty of one additional count of money laundering.
Evidence at the trial showed that Von Garrett laundered nearly $1 million in seven transactions in the spring of 2021 for the Sinaloa cartel. In addition to his prison sentence, Von Garrett faces a money judgment of $744,864, representing the drug proceeds that made it to the cartel. Investigators also seized $211,000 from Israel and $7,040 from Garrett.
During the Von Garrett sentencing hearing, Judge Pitlyk said the large quantity of money in the case reflected significant drug sales and that Von Garrett’s crime was “threatening to the community.”
Luis Miguel Hernandez, 38, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering and admitted being driven by Von Garrett to a meeting with an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer in St. Louis on March 1, 2021. Hernandez delivered $100,095 in drug proceeds and then arranged a series of meetings between Antonio Jones, 51, of Florissant, Missouri, and the task force officer. On March 8, 2021, Jones handed over $100,000. Jones delivered $150,030 on March 17 and $100,000 on March 31. On April 8, Jones delivered $109,740.
Israel was a courier, like Jones, evidence and testimony showed. On April 14, Israel picked up $221,020 from Von Garrett. Von Garrett was then stopped by investigators, who found six phones and a ledger that contained dates and amounts of money roughly corresponding to cash drops, evidence showed. Israel told investigators that he’d been promised $1,000 to pick up the cash, and that he’d done so once before.
Jones then delivered $100,100 on May 18 and another $100,100 on May 25.
Hernandez was sentenced in January to 87 months in prison and Jones was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police, the Bridgeton Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth and Ricardo Dixon are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Arranging Sale of Drugs to DEARead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who arranged for the sale of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine to 15 years in prison.
Jerry Massey, 33, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl, five counts of distribution of meth and fentanyl, one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of count of distribution of meth and heroin.
The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Massey in January of 2022, and made a series of drug purchases that were arranged by him in St. Louis, St. Louis County and Illinois. The sales included meth and fentanyl on Jan. 18, 2024, January 24, January 31, February 8, February 29, March 7, March 14. On February 14, the DEA purchased fentanyl and cocaine. On March 27, investigators conducted a court-approved search of Massey’s home and found a large amount of cash and 29 pills containing fentanyl, Massey’s plea agreement says.
Darrion Dardon, 32, previously pleaded guilty conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and distribution of meth and heroin. Darius Smith, 31, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. Ronald Finney, 32, and Michael Davis, 34, pleaded guilty to three drug charges and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In their plea agreements, Davis admitted selling meth and fentanyl on January 18. Smith gave Massey the meth that he sold on January 24. Dardon sold meth and a mixture of heroin, cocaine and xylazine on February 29. Finney sold meth and Davis sold fentanyl during the March 14 transactions.
When Finney’s home in St. Louis County was searched on March 27, investigators found fentanyl, cocaine base and meth, as well as a handgun and drug paraphernalia. Davis’ home in St. Louis contained fentanyl, a digital scale, a kilogram press, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, meth, cocaine base and cocaine.
Finney and Davis await sentencing. Dardon was sentenced to 84 months in prison and Smith to 96 months.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Granger is prosecuting the case.
Sex Offender Who Possessed Gun, Approached Children Sentenced to 8 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender caught with a pistol after a road rage shooting to eight years in prison.
Leroy Richard Walker Jr., 54, of Franklin County, pleaded guilty in April to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted firing a shot from a pistol after he believed a driver passed him and then pulled in front of him on Nov. 25, 2022, as they exited Interstate 44 in Eureka, Missouri.
Walker was also investigated twice for violating the sex offender restrictions barring him from schools and school bus stops. He admitted approaching and speaking with two children who were waiting for the school bus on Nov. 28, 2023, in Franklin County. On May 14, 2024, Walker pulled up in front of a high school in Franklin County, Missouri and began speaking with a 16-year-old girl who was also waiting for the school bus. He offered her a ride home and dropped her at a commercial business. On the way, he put his arm around the victim. The victim told authorities that she got into Walker’s car because she felt pressured by him and believed he could grab or hurt her.
Walker has prior felony convictions for first-degree assault, attempted forcible rape, armed criminal action, burglary, tampering, stealing a motor vehicle and escape.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Pacific Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Northeast Missouri Felon Caught Twice with Guns and Drugs Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a northeast Missouri felon who was on supervised release when he was caught twice with drugs and guns to 153 months in prison.
Darek A. Wilson, 40, of Kahoka, in Clark County, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on July 29, 2024, a U.S. Probation Officer was at Wilson’s home when he spotted suspected methamphetamine in Wilson’s bedroom. The officer went on to find a Glock handgun, 61 rounds of ammunition, fentanyl, meth, marijuana, and psilocybin mushrooms. Wilson was on supervised release after pleading guilty on Nov. 10, 2021, to one count of possession with the intent to distribute meth.
An arrest warrant was sought, and when the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Northern Missouri Drug Taskforce and the Kahoka Police Department returned to Wilson’s home, they found 12 firearms hidden in the false ceiling of a bedroom and a safe containing a digital scale, $4,394 in cash, 241.63 grams of meth, 19 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and 15 more guns. Wilson lived 231 feet from a school property.
The U.S. Probation Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Northern Missouri Drug Taskforce and the Kahoka Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nauman Wadalawala prosecuted the case.
Former General Manager Admits Embezzling $878,000 from Her EmployerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former general manager of a Missouri company on Wednesday admitted embezzling $878,000.
Kristina Higgins, 54, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bank fraud and agreed to repay the money. She admitted issuing company checks to pay a total of $878,711 in personal credit card bills and using a stamp to add the company owner’s signature on the checks. In December of 2022, she falsified information to ensure that the checks would be honored when the company enrolled in the bank’s positive pay system, her plea agreement says.
Higgins is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4. Bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million or both prison and fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Jefferson County Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Jefferson County, Missouri man on Friday admitted sexually abusing two girls and recording that abuse.
Benjamin F. Sexton Jr., 48, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.
In 2023, the grandfather of one victim discovered explicit communications between that victim and Sexton. The victim told investigators that Sexton sexually abused her between the ages of 7 and 14 and recorded some of that abuse, Sexton admitted as part of his guilty plea. He also solicited sexual images via Snapchat and gave her methamphetamine.
A second victim told law enforcement that Sexton sexually abused her multiple times when she was 15, and investigators found images of the teen in Sexton’s Google account.
Sexton is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will recommend 27 years in prison for his crimes.
The St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis Sheriff Indicted on Civil Rights ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on a civil rights charge. He appeared in court Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty.
Montgomery, 28, was indicted on a misdemeanor count of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable seizure.
The indictment alleges that on Feb. 14, 2025, Montgomery deprived the acting commissioner of the St. Louis City Justice Center of her right to be free from unlawful detention by a person acting under color of law, when he directed and participated in the restraint and detention of her.
The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000 or both prison and a fine..
A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.
Postal Employee Admits Role in Conspiracy to Steal Checks from the MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A mail carrier on Thursday admitted stealing checks from the mail and selling the key that allowed her co-conspirators to steal mail.
Cambria M. Hopkins, 30, of Florissant, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of unlawful use of a mail key. Hopkins, a postal carrier based in Clayton, joined a conspiracy to steal mail to obtain personal and business checks, knowing that they would be used to commit fraud. On March 20, 2022, Hopkins sold her “arrow key,” which allows access to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, to Malik A. Jones. She also told Jones which boxes the key would open. Jones then paid others to steal mail using Hopkins’ key.
Hopkins also stole mail at the Post Office and mail that she encountered on her route. From roughly August 2022 to August 2023, Hopkins sold checks to Jones multiple times. He paid her in cash, via CashApp or in groceries.
Hopkins is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The conspiracy charge carries a potential penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The mail key charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Jones, now 28, pleaded guilty October 25 to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and is awaiting sentencing. He admitted recruiting other people who would then allow him to use their bank accounts to deposit forged and fraudulent checks that had been stolen from the mail.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Jefferson County Man Admits Producing, Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from DeSoto, Missouri on Thursday pleaded guilty to child pornography charges involving three victims.
Dylan James, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He admitted recording a sexual act with a 13-year-old in 2024 and then distributing that recording.
Investigators later discovered evidence of two more victims on James’ phone. The second victim, who was 15, told investigators that James gave her alcohol and “possibly some vapes” in exchange for sexually explicit images. The third victim was 16 when James watched a livestream of her engaging in sex acts with her boyfriend. He later paid her for additional videos, James’ plea agreement says.
James is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. The production charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years. The distribution charge carries a potential penalty of 5 to 20 years.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis Felon Caught with Three Guns Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon from St. Louis who was caught by police with three guns to 12 years in prison.
Derrick Lamar Rodgers, 34, pleaded guilty in May in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with three guns on May 24, 2024, when he was arrested by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team. Rodgers, who was being sought on multiple warrants, had a 9mm handgun and plastic baggies with synthetic cannabinoid in a cross-body satchel. Officers also found a shotgun and a stolen Hi-Point 9mm handgun. Rodgers is a felon and is thus barred from possession of a firearm.
In court Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake said Rodgers has an “atrocious” criminal history filled with violent acts, particularly against women.
Per an agreement between both sides, Judge Autrey ran Rodgers’ sentence concurrent with pending cases in St. Louis Circuit Court.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake prosecuted the case.
Franklin County Woman Admits Using Stolen Mail to Commit FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Franklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted using stolen mail to commit bank and check fraud.
Miranda Burgess, 30, pleaded guilty to all 13 counts that she faces: one count of aggravated identity theft, three counts of possession of stolen mail and nine counts of bank fraud.
As early as Feb. 1, 2022, Burgess obtained mail that had been stolen from a Missouri victim, including mail with information about the victim’s bank accounts. Burgess used that information to transfer funds from the victim’s bank to her own accounts with Acorns, Green Dot, M1 Finance, Square and Wave, her plea agreement says. Burgess initiated $76,270 in fraudulent electronic transfers, but $50,000 was later returned to the victim.
Burgess also deposited counterfeit checks bearing the victim’s name, forged electronic signature and account number, costing the victim $1,200
Burgess is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3. Bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million or both prison and fine and possession of stolen mail matter carries a penalty of up to five years and a $250,000 fine. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to the prison sentence for all other charges.
She will also be ordered to repay the money.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Arnold Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Assistant Professor Admits Embezzling from Washington UniversityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An assistant professor of pathology and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine on Wednesday admitted embezzling $412,000 from his employer.
Gary Grajales-Reyes, MD-PhD, who maintained an office and research laboratory at the School of Medicine (WashU Medicine), pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to three counts of wire fraud.
The scheme involved Grajales-Reyes submitting false requisition requests to WashU Medicine for internal and external hard drives and graphics cards falsely claiming that the computer equipment was for his WashU Medicine research laboratory. Relying upon the false requisition requests, WashU Medicine purchased the requested computer equipment from its vendor, which then shipped the computer equipment directly to Grajales-Reyes’ research laboratory. WashU Medicine then paid for the computer equipment. After Grajales-Reyes received the falsely obtained computer equipment he sold the equipment by two different methods, without the knowledge or authority of WashU Medicine. He sold some of the computer equipment through his personal eBay site, and he also sold some of the computer equipment to an Amazon based third-party seller. He used the money obtained by selling the computer equipment for his own personal expenses unrelated to the work and operations of WashU Medicine, and without the knowledge or authority of WashU Medicine. Over the period of his scheme, Grajales-Reyes submitted 73 false requisition requests to WashU Medicine for internal and external hard drives and graphics cards, which included approximately 761 different computer parts. As a result of his scheme, WashU Medicine and Washington University paid approximately $412,163 for the computer parts, which Grajales-Reyes then sold for money which he used for his own personal expenses, unrelated to the work and operations of WashU Medicine. Federal law enforcement seized a substantial quantity of collectible trading cards from Grajales-Reyes’ laboratory. He had purchased the cards with some of the funds he obtained from selling the computer parts.
Grajales-Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case, with the cooperation and assistance of Washington University. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Convicted of $200,000 Kohl’s Cash ScamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday convicted a St. Louis man of all of the charges he faced for stealing more than $200,000 worth of online merchandise from Kohl’s.
According to evidence and testimony at the trial, Marshall Lampkin, 35, devised a scheme to use “Kohl’s Cash” twice. First, Lampkin would use Kohl’s Cash to purchase merchandise in a Kohl’s store, generally for more than $1,000. He then immediately used the same Kohl’s Cash to order merchandise online, knowing that the in-person transaction had not yet registered. Lampkin then returned the items he purchased in the store for a refund in Kohl’s Cash, so he could repeat his scam, evidence and testimony showed. Lampkin used the scheme more than 100 times in 2021 and 2022, at 40 different stores in 13 states, the trial showed.
He had his online purchases, which included flooring, furniture, small appliances and other items, shipped to storage units in St. Louis and a relative’s house in Illinois, evidence and testimony showed. He later sold or tried to sell those items by advertising them on Facebook.
Investigators also recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in Kohl’s merchandise packed into Lampkin’s storage units.
The trial began Monday. In less than seven minutes, jurors found Lampkin guilty of five counts of mail fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
The U.S. Secret Service and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Ladendorf and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.
Leader of Meth, Fentanyl Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 27 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a man who built a drug trafficking organization that brought hundreds of pounds of fentanyl and methamphetamine to the St. Louis area to 27 years in prison.
Stephen Griffin Jr., 51, received a 25-year sentence for the main case, filed in 2021, and two more years for violating his supervised release in a 2015 heroin trafficking case.
In all, 20 people were indicted. Griffin’s top lieutenant, Troy Mills, 22, was also sentenced Tuesday to 16 years in prison on meth and fentanyl conspiracy charges and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Crystal Miller, 37, of Florissant, who ran stash houses, was sentenced in December of 2023 to 20 years in prison. Twelve others have been sentenced. The remaining five defendants will be sentenced in October and November.
During the investigation, investigators seized about 39 firearms, 499 pounds of meth, 22 pounds of heroin, 49 pounds of fentanyl, four vehicles, ammunition, and more than $500,000 in assets.
Griffin pleaded guilty in April to two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He admitted being part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that brought meth and fentanyl from Arizona and California to the Eastern District of Missouri.
Initially, Griffin’s organization received meth and fentanyl in the mail, in multiple-kilogram packages, his plea agreement says. Those packages were taken to “stash” houses, where they were prepared for sale. Griffin and his co-conspirators also used a home health care business in a shopping center in Northwoods, Missouri as a base of operations where they coordinated shipments and sales of drugs, collected and stored drug proceeds, communicated with coconspirators, sources of supply and customers, and as a centrally located location to congregate between drug sales. Griffin’s organization later developed a second source of drugs in Arizona, and would obtain multiple-kilogram quantities of meth and fentanyl via the mail or couriers. Mills obtained drugs from Griffin and sold them to others.
In March of 2021, Griffin was arrested leaving a “stash” apartment with about one kilo of meth, a gun and multiple cell phones. Inside the apartment, investigators found about seven kilos of meth, 15 grams of fentanyl, a drug press and scales.
“Stephen Griffin rolled the dice when he started pushing fentanyl and methamphetamine in the St. Louis region,” Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “His selfish greed destroyed families who were impacted by the fallout of his poisonous sales. Today, he faces the consequences of those actions. Griffin’s 21 years in federal prison will allow him plenty of time to reflect on the lives he ruined, including his own.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to protect the nation’s mail system. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate those utilizing the U.S. Mail for illicit activities, including the distribution of narcotics. Today’s sentencing reflects the diligent investigative work by Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
St. Louis County Man Accused of Conspiring to Steal 16 Homes and a DuplexRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man accused of conspiring to steal or try to steal 16 homes and a duplex with bogus deeds appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and pleaded not guilty to two separate indictments.
James L. Townes Jr., 50, of Berkeley, was originally charged by complaint on June 10, 2025. He was indicted by a grand jury on June 25 with one count of mail fraud, one count of access device fraud, one count of unlawful production of an authentication feature, four counts of identity theft and four counts of aggravated identity theft. An August 6 superseding indictment charged Townes with a total of 25 counts, including conspiracy, mail fraud, access device fraud, fraudulently effecting transactions, unlawful production of an authentication feature, identity theft and aggravated identity theft.
Townes was indicted in a separate case on August 6 with one count of mail fraud, five counts of wire fraud and four counts of theft of government funds.
The superseding indictment accuses Townes and Charnay Bartlett, 29, of using a series of deeds to fraudulently transfer the ownership of 16 residences and a duplex between September 2018, and April 2025. Townes and Bartlett stole the identities of the true owners and fraudulently notarized the documents and forged signatures to perpetuate the transfers, the indictment says. Townes continued to fraudulently transfer the properties after his notary license was suspended, the indictment says.
Bartlett faces one count of conspiracy, one count of fraudulently effecting transactions, four counts of unlawful production of an authentication feature and four counts of identity theft.
The second indictment accuses Townes of falsely claiming to be disabled from February 2017, through August 6, 2025. Townes, it says, claimed not to have a bank account or any resources and said he could not walk more than five or 10 steps, do any household chores or lift, squat, bend, climb stairs, concentrate or complete tasks. During that time, Townes ran Tied Tight Entertainment and acted as the registered agent of 13 other LLCs, owned two investment accounts, became commissioned as a notary public and filed property deeds, the indictment says.
Charges set forth in indictments are merely an accusation and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Hazelwood Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
Arkansas Man Accused of Stealing from 20+ Missouri, Iowa Schools and BusinessesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Arkansas has been indicted in St. Louis and accused of burglarizing more than 20 rural schools and businesses in Missouri and Iowa.
Curtis Lee Barton, 40, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and three counts of interstate transportation of stolen property.
The indictment says Barton and a co-conspirator stole a total of at least $50,000 from May 2023 through April 2025. Some of the money stolen from schools had been set aside for impoverished children and for the Special Olympics, the indictment says.
The indictment lists several examples of Missouri schools that were burglarized, including the Feb. 25, 2025, theft of about $5,752 from a school in Lewistown, the April 22, 2025, theft of about $13,000 from a school in Brookfield, and the April 26, 2025, theft of $4,000 from a school in Shelbyville. On April 26, 2025, Barton also stole about $1,000 from a safe in an Adair County school, the indictment says.
The indictment says Barton researched both his targets and the sheriff’s offices or police departments in those areas in advance. He broke into the schools in the middle of the night to avoid detection, the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI and the Wapello County (Iowa) Iowa Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Five Arrested, Accused of St. Louis-Linked Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five people accused of involvement in a drug distribution ring that smuggled kilograms of cocaine to St. Louis and other areas were arrested Tuesday.
Christopher D. Taylor, 35; Stanford “Stan” Times, 36; Vincent “Lil V” Woods, 38; and Terry Smith, 49, were arrested in the St. Louis area. Rene Garcia, 47, was arrested in Texas.
Arturo Villalobos, now 33, of Texas, has been in custody since April, when he was charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was indicted with that same charge on April 30. A superseding indictment on July 24 added charges against the others.
Times, Woods, Garcia, Grant “50” Berry, 47, and Nabor Deleon, 34, of Texas, now face one cocaine conspiracy count and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Villalobos, Berry and Deleon face a second possession count. Taylor, Smith, and Wally Burciaga, 30, face just the cocaine conspiracy count. Berry, Deleon and Burciaga have not yet been arrested.
The indictment accuses all of them in involvement in a cocaine conspiracy from October 2024 to July 2025.
Motions seeking to hold the men in jail until trial say Villalobos was caught with a duffel bag containing 19 kilograms of cocaine, as well as $100,000 cash, part of a history of traveling the country transporting drugs and collecting drug payments. Only a few days later, he traveled to St. Louis to collect payment for a prior shipment of cocaine, the motion says.
Berry, who was caught with 13 kilograms of cocaine, supplied illegal drugs to Woods and Times, who supplied Taylor and Smith, the motions say. A man who purchased cocaine from Taylor was the target of a shooting on Interstate 55 in St. Louis on Nov. 23, 2024, the motions say. The buyer’s car was hit about 26 times. One round entered the northbound lanes of the highway, striking and killing an innocent bystander, the motions say.
Burciaga, an escaped federal prison inmate, was the source of supply of the drugs in Mexico, and Garcia and Deleon are truck drivers who transported the drugs, the motions say.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely an accusation and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Jefferson County Municipal Enforcement Group, the Overland Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie J. Schneider Phillip Voss are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Employee’s Smuggling of Drugs into Missouri Prison Leads to 87-Month Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former state prison employee to 87 months in prison for smuggling contraband into that prison.
Steven M. Reminger, 53, was an electronics technician at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri on May 25, 2022, when U.S. Postal Inspectors caught him with a package that contained $4,000 in cash and packages containing fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, K2, THC edibles, marijuana, knives and cell phones.
The investigation began when inmates alerted prison officials about drug smuggling after a number of inmate deaths. One told a Missouri Department of Corrections investigator that Reminger had drugs mailed to a Post Office box in Farmington, Missouri under a fake name. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service learned that Reminger had received about 12 packages between Nov. 13, 2021, and May 24, 2022, at that P.O. box. Reminger told Postal Inspectors that the $4,000 in the final package was his compensation. He said he never opened the individual packages and didn’t know what was inside. He acknowledged that it was “possible” the packages he brought in contained something that contributed to the inmate overdoses, but said “ignorance is bliss.”
Reminger turned over $15,000 in cash that he’d made from smuggling. He used some of the rest of the money to buy a dune buggy and two trailers.Reminger pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
The Missouri Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar prosecuted the case.
Two Admit Running Nearly 20-Year Pyramid Scheme that Victimized More Than 90 MissouriansRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two Missouri men on Friday admitted operating a long-running Ponzi scheme that cost more than 90 victims at least $3 million.
James “Jim” Johnson, 77, and Darrell Niswonger, 68, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count each of wire fraud, securities fraud and investment adviser fraud as dozens and dozens of victims looked on in court. Niswonger also pleaded guilty to four additional counts of wire fraud. Both men admitted engaging in a scheme to defraud that began in 2006. The pair claimed they were investing clients’ funds in municipal bonds when they were really using that money to fund lavish lifestyles that included country club memberships, sponsored golf tournaments, hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements to Johnson’s home, educational expenses for a Niswonger relative and other personal expenses, their plea agreements say. Johnson and Niswonger also paid themselves a salary of $7,500 every two weeks and used some of the money to make payments to victims to lull them into believing that their investments were secure.
Operating out of a storefront in Perryville, Missouri as Johnson & Niswonger Financial Resources LLC since 2002, the pair initially offered clients annuities. But at least as early as 2006, the firm began experiencing cash flow problems. Johnson and Niswonger discussed offering clients what they referred to as tax-free and risk-free “municipal bonds.” Both men have now admitted as part of their guilty pleas that they knew they were going to use the money to keep their business and themselves afloat financially. The men had their clients sign one-page investment agreements that they called “Five Year Interest Bearing Note” or “Investment Note” or “Five Year Interest Bearing Investment.” They claimed clients would receive a guaranteed 5% return. The pair also persuaded clients to move their money out of legitimate investments into the fraudulent ones.
Johnson and Niswonger discouraged investors from withdrawing their money and urged them to roll over their bond investments because they lacked the funds to make the investors whole, their plea agreements say.
One investor asked them to withdraw his money from the “municipal bond investment” only to learn that Johnson had instead withdrawn money from the investor’s legitimate annuity. The son of an investor who died was told that he could not withdraw money until the bonds matured.
Over nearly 20 years, they took in millions of dollars from their friends, relatives and neighbors. Many victims encouraged others to invest, based on Niswonger and Johnson’s false claims about the investments’ success. Victims have now lost inheritances, the proceeds of selling their homes and farms and their life savings.
When Johnson & Niswonger shut down on April 22, 2025, they owed investors more than $3 million but had less than $22,000 in the bank account into which they have deposited investors’ money.
“Today, Jim Johnson and Darrell Niswonger finally admitted that they had been bilking clients for almost 20 years,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “This fraud has affected a large number of Perryville-area residents, many of whom knew or were even related to Johnson and Niswonger. It has been not only a betrayal of trust but a major financial loss for them. We will do our best to try and recover as much money as possible for these victims.”
“One of the defendants stooped so low that he even swindled his own family members – an act that shows there is no line he wouldn’t cross,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says unlicensed, unregistered persons commit much of the investment fraud in the United States. Research the background of the person or firm before investing. The SEC has an online tool called, ‘Check Out Your Investment Professional,’ which can be used to vet a broker, investment adviser or a firm before trusting them with your money.”
Niswonger and Johnson are scheduled to be sentenced on November 13. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. Securities fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine and investment adviser fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
As of their plea agreements, Johnson, of Perry County, and Niswonger, of Perryville, have both agreed to forfeit Johnson’s home, a 2019 Audi A5 Premium as well as $61,734 in two bank accounts and $10,302 in a brokerage account.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Two St. Louis Carjackings Lead to ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men have been indicted and accused of two carjackings in St. Louis in December, and two women have been accused of aiding one of the crimes.
Davion Pruitt, 18, of St. Louis, and Tywone Calvin, 19, of Pine Lawn, were each indicted on July 30 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with two counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Mya Reagan, 19, and Evanna Myers-Taylor, 20, face one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Pruitt, Calvin and Reagan appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment says all four were involved in the armed carjacking of a 2011 Cadillac Escalade on Dec. 23, 2024, in St. Louis. The indictment says Pruit and Calvin stole a 2017 Chevrolet Trax three days later in St. Louis.
Motions seeking to hold Pruitt and Calvin in jail until trial say the first victim met a woman on Facebook and arranged to pick her up in his SUV. She asked him to stop for cigars at a gas station, where two armed men demanded his keys, the motions say. After the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department released the photo of the woman, Reagan was identified as that woman and Myers-Taylor as another passenger in the car, the motion says. The second carjacking victim was alerted by his key fob that something was happening to his vehicle. He went outside and was met by two armed men who took his keys, phone and SUV, the motion says. St. Louis County Police Department officers later spotted the stolen Trax with Pruitt and Calvin inside, the motion says. They arrested Calvin after he crashed the vehicle while fleeing police, the motion says, and arrested Pruitt on Feb. 14, 2025.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 107 Months in Prison for Five Bank Robberies and One Attempted RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man who committed five bank robberies and one attempted robbery to 107 months in prison.
Derrick Snulligan, now 62, of Velda Village Hills, handed a note demanding money to the teller of a bank in Northwoods, Missouri on April 18, 2023. He returned to the same bank and did the same thing on Aug. 28, 2023. On Oct. 13, 2023, he tried a third time, but a teller activated an alarm and told Snulligan to leave. In each robbery, Snulligan was wearing a mask.
On June 24, 2024, his notes became more threatening. He handed a note to a Hazelwood credit union employee that read, “I[f] you don’t want to get hurt, go in your drawer and give me 6-one hundred dollar bills, 4-fifty dollar bills, 10-ten dollar bills, and 20-5 dollar bills as quickly as possible,” his plea agreement says. The teller handed cash to Snulligan, who fled.
Three days later, Snulligan handed a note to the teller of a St. Louis credit union demanding money. That same day, he committed a similar robbery at a Florissant credit union. His note read, “If you don’t want to get shot I suggest you go in your drawer and give me 30 one hundred dollar bill[s], 20 fifty dollar bills, 30, 20 dollar bills and 40, 10 dollar bills as quickly as possible.”
After the final two robberies, Snulligan fled in a blue Buick Encore. Investigators traced the vehicle to Snulligan, who admitted committing the robberies, and seized some of the stolen money from him. He repaid the rest of the money before sentencing.
“Derrick Snulligan terrorized bank employees who feared for their lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Today’s sentence delivers justice for the trauma he caused.”
Snulligan, who is also known as Derrick Jackson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March to five counts of bank robbery.
The FBI, the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Northwoods Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa
prosecuted the case.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis County Man Convicted of Child Sex-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury on Wednesday afternoon found a St. Louis County man guilty of all the child sex-related charges that he faced.
David S. Becker, 69, was found guilty of one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receiving/distributing child pornography. Evidence and testimony at the trial, which began Monday, showed that Becker began corresponding with a person on a nudist website. That person claimed to be the mother of an 11-year-old girl in France. Becker and the person discussed having sex with each other and the child. Becker bought plane tickets for France and obtained an extended-stay visa, planning to travel there in June of 2023, evidence and testimony showed.
Investigators were already working on a cyber tipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about someone uploading child sexual abuse material (CSAM). On May 22, 2023, investigators conducted a court-approved search of Becker’s home. Becker admitted planning the trip to France to meet the mother and her daughter. Investigators found CSAM on Becker’s electronic devices, as well as years of communications about Becker’s plans to sexually abuse the child, evidence and testimony showed.
In her opening statement to jurors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson called Becker’s conduct “deranged and unnatural.”
Becker is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The coercion charge carries a penalty of 10 years to life in prison, and the child pornography charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Dept. Special Investigations Unit, the FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jillian Anderson and Michael Hayes are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
North Carolina Man Who Embezzled $306,000 from St. Louis County Company Admits Defrauding Second EmployerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who embezzled a total of $501,000 from two companies to 30 months in prison and ordered him to repay the money.
Judge Pitlyk ordered Scott H. Foster, 49, of Charlotte, North Carolina to repay $306,199 to the St. Louis County company where he worked as a mid-level executive in human resources. Foster pleaded guilty in February to one count of wire fraud and admitted manipulating the human resources systems to create an employee account for his paramour. Foster triggered wages and benefits totaling more than $273,000 to be paid to his paramour over nearly five years, until Foster was terminated in December 2022. He also used a corporate American Express card to pay for more than $33,000 in personal travel for himself, his paramour and other friends and acquaintances.
“Rather than learn from his crimes,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow says, Foster’s conduct became “more manipulative and egregious.”
After Foster’s guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was contacted by a non-profit children’s hospital where Foster had been working since June 2023. After learning about the guilty plea, they investigated and discovered Foster had fraudulently used hospital credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses and travel, the memo says. Foster, who had received a $20,000 relocation bonus to move to the hospital's area after being hired, instead stayed in Charlotte and used hospital credit cards to pay for airfare and lodging to commute to his job. He also used these credit cards for personal travel, and to pay for first-class air travel to St. Louis and a hotel stay when he pleaded guilty in February. Foster’s embezzlement from the hospital did not stop even after he learned he was being investigated for the embezzlement from his first employer. Judge Pitlyk on Thursday ordered Foster to pay $194,855 to the hospital.
“Scott Foster absolutely belongs in prison—not just to answer for stealing from two different employers, but to stop him from preying on another one,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “After being fired from his first company and before he could be charged, Foster took a job at a children’s hospital—where he stole again. Employee theft is one of the most common white-collar crimes the FBI investigates, and it destroys trust from the inside. Businesses must protect themselves with strict internal controls, routine audits, and a clear line of sight on every dollar. "
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Sharing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who shared child sexual abuse material with an undercover police officer to eight years in prison.
Judge Clark also ordered James C. Astorian to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victims that have been identified in the images that he collected.
Astorian was caught with 6,110 images and 728 videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after an investigation that began after Astorian shared multiple images and videos containing CSAM with a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer via a peer-to-peer network.
Astorian told investigators that he had been trafficking in CSAM for about two years, according to a government sentencing memorandum, which also says some of the images were “notably violent.”
Astorian, 40, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March to one count of possession of child pornography.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Missouri Man Who Stole the Identities of 13 People Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who stole the identities of 13 people to apply for loans and obtain other things of value to four years in prison and ordered him to repay $26,812.
Deleon Ford, 32, of Ferguson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He admitted using the identities of multiple people to open financial accounts, obtain unsecured loans, rent a U-Haul truck and open a cell phone account. Ford submitted online credit applications to various lenders, transmitted or hand-delivered identification documents bearing his picture and the stolen identifiers of others and created fake pay stubs, utility bills and bank statements to further his scheme.
Ford also helped an Illinois jail inmate to obtain loans in the name of others.
In all, Ford admitted stealing the identity of 13 people in an attempt to obtain more than $40,000, including loans, cellphone service and the rental truck.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Ellisville (Missouri) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.
Four St. Louis Area Residents Sentenced for Fraud Committed with Checks Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four people, including a former U.S. Postal Service employee, have been sentenced for their role in a conspiracy that stole checks from the mail to commit bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Tuesday.
The four defendants received sentences of between 12 and 80 months in prison. All have been ordered to pay restitution of $44,135.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced former U.S. Postal Service mail carrier Wynter Hinton to 12 months in prison on August 5. On July 17, Ryan McKinney received a 28-month sentence. Jayden Burklow was sentenced in June to 57 months. Johnathan Barnett was sentenced in April to 80 months.
During a conspiracy that lasted from January of 2022 to September of 2023, Barnett bought a key to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes from Hinton. Barnett and others, including McKinney and Burklow, used that key to steal mail from collections boxes in St. Louis County. Hinton also stole checks from the mail while on her postal route.
Barnett, Burklow and McKinney then altered the stolen checks and recruited others to allow their bank accounts to be used to deposit the fraudulent checks. They withdrew the money before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent. Barnett, Burklow and McKinney tried to commit at least $800,000 worth of fraud this way.
Barnett, who was already a convicted felon, was caught with an AR-15-style rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine, four other firearms and check-making equipment on Sept. 15, 2023, when investigators were conducting a court-approved search of his home.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others to enrich themselves. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
“This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. The OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”Barnett, 30, of University City, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a mail key. McKinney, 25, of St. Louis, and Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Creve Coeur Police Department and the University City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Ohio Man Accused of Stealing Millions of Dollars from Missouri Grocery ChainRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An Ohio man accused of defrauding a Missouri grocery chain out of more than $15 million worth of groceries and inventory has been arrested.
Muhammad Babar Chaudhry, 46, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on July 23 with four counts of wire fraud. He was arrested Wednesday night. On Friday, he was ordered held in jail until trial at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The indictment says Chaudhry owns a grocery chain in southern Ohio called Sunshine Stores LLC. Beginning in May of 2021, the Missouri chain licensed its brand to 38 stores operated by Chaudhry and supplied those stores with groceries, the indictment says. In March of 2023, Chaudhry ordered $7.6 million in groceries and inventory from the Missouri chain with no intention of paying, the indictment says. He ordered $7.5 million more in April of 2023, the indictment says, then repeatedly lied to the victim company about payments. An employee was told to lie and say that Chaudhry was out of the country, and later say that “fraudulent activity” caused the failure to pay, the indictment says. Chaudhry intentionally drained his bank accounts so the victim company could not withdraw the funds and then falsely claimed he was wiring the payments, the indictment says.
A motion seeking to have Chaudhry held in jail until trial says he stole copper from one grocery store that will cost $1 million to replace and had concrete poured down the sinks and drains at the victim company’s grocery stores.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Kansas City Men Sentenced for St. Louis County CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from Kansas City, Missouri have been sentenced for a 2022 St. Louis County carjacking.
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced Reginald Hudson, now 29, to 125 months in prison. On July 9, Judge Ross sentenced Ki’Juan Calhoun, 28, to 144 months in prison. Both men were ordered to pay restitution of $24,438.
Hudson and Calhoun pleaded guilty in April to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. They admitted stealing a 2019 Ford Fusion at gunpoint from a woman on Jan. 12, 2022, at her apartment in St. Louis County. The woman saw two men walking down the stairs from the third floor to the second, both pointing handguns at her. One of the men demanded her car keys, purse and phone, and then both men fled in her car.
“I completely understand the terror you had to be feeling that night,” Judge Ross told the victim in court.
The victim’s car was found the next day by the Kansas City Police Department. After an investigation, officers found Hudson as well as the victim’s purse and her debit card in a nearby home, along with two handguns.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker prosecuted the case.
Tonia Haddix Sentenced for Lying Repeatedly to Court About Death of Tonka the ChimpanzeeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a woman to forty-six (46) months in prison for repeatedly lying in U.S. District Court and in court filings about the death of “Tonka,” a chimpanzee that once starred in Hollywood movies such as Buddy and George of the Jungle, and was the subject of a long running federal civil suit.
Tonia Haddix, 55, pleaded guilty on March 31 to three felony charges: two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. She admitted making repeated false statements that influenced and obstructed the administration of justice in a pending civil suit. Haddix repeatedly falsely claimed that Tonka died to avoid complying with a number of court Orders in the underlying suit, originally filed in 2016 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over the care of Tonka and other chimpanzees at a facility operated by Haddix near Festus, Missouri.
Over a period of years, the District Court issued a number of Orders in that civil suit requiring Haddix to take steps to improve the facilities where the chimpanzees were housed, and to improve the chimpanzees’ care and feeding. When Haddix repeatedly failed to comply with those Orders, On July 14, 2021 the District Court found Haddix in violation and entered an additional Order requiring that Tonka and six other chimpanzees be transferred from Haddix’s possession to the Center for Great Apes. On July 28, 2021, six chimpanzees were removed by Court Order from the facility with the aid of Deputy U.S. Marshals and taken to the Center for Great Apes, but Haddix had secretly removed Tonka from the facility and transferred him to a facility in Ohio.
Over the next many months, Haddix continued to make false representations that Tonka had died. For example, on August 16, 2021, Haddix filed a declaration with the Court, under penalty of perjury, in which she falsely stated that Tonka died on May 30, 2021 and was cremated. Haddix claimed to have possession of Tonka’s remains. On December 27, 2021, Haddix filed a pro se motion to dismiss with prejudice PETA’s fourth motion seeking civil contempt. In that motion, Haddix again made numerous materially false representations that Tonka was dead. Her materially false statements influenced, obstructed and impeded the due administration of justice in that pending civil case.
On January 5, 2022, the District Court convened a hearing during which Haddix gave sworn testimony and again made materially false statements, again claiming that Tonka had died and was cremated. “…I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if I could,” she wrote. “But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him.” Based upon her false testimony, the District Court denied PETA’s motion for civil contempt.
On June 2, 2022, based upon newly discovered evidence presented to the District Court that Tonka was alive, the District Court entered its Order requiring Haddix to cooperate in the transfer of Tonka from her possession to a primate sanctuary. On June 8, 2022, again with the assistance of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Tonka was rescued from where he was being held in a cage in Haddix’s basement and transferred to a Save the Chimps sanctuary, where Tonka continues to live to this date.
Haddix subsequently appeared in the documentary “Chimp Crazy,” in which she was shown hiding Tonka while falsely claiming that he was dead.
Just two weeks after her guilty plea this year, Haddix concealed a new chimp from United States Pretrial Services officers who were conducting an inspection. That chimp was located in a cage in the basement of her home in Camden County, Missouri and rescued during a July 9 court-ordered search of her home. She was jailed for violating the conditions of her pretrial release and appearance bond, and will remain in jail until she is transferred to federal prison, Judge Clark said Thursday.
In the documentary and in media interviews while the civil case was pending, Haddix “repeatedly and publicly disclosed her animosity towards the Court and opposing party PETA, as well as her intent to violate the Court’s Orders requiring the surrender of the chimpanzees,” a sentencing memorandum filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith says. Haddix “challenged the Court’s authority to order her to surrender Tonka and the other chimpanzees, expressly stating her intent not to comply with the Court’s orders, and voicing various implied threats aimed at any law enforcement officers who might approach her business in an effort to execute the Court’s orders,” the memo says. Haddix also claimed she tried to run over PETA’s lawyer.
Haddix “reveled in her ability to obstruct justice and delay the civil proceedings, seeking credit and adulation from future viewers for conduct which was portrayed then as akin to a type of David and Goliath situation, with Defendant playing the role of David to the Court’s Goliath,” a separate government memo says. “But the Biblical David never harmed anyone but Goliath, nor sought fame for his acts nor, to put it in context here, ever kept live chimpanzees caged in a basement.”
Haddix profited from both her inclusion in the documentary and her “perjurious statements and false representations that allowed her to delay the inevitable and maintain possession of Tonka,” the memo says, through podcasts, media interviews, the operation of her “safari,” the sale of merchandise and drawings and the sale of personal appearances via an online site.
“Tonia Haddix’s lies about the death of Tonka were only part of a series of falsehoods that she told the District Court about her plans to properly care for the chimps in her custody,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “She continued to lie, even as she pleaded guilty in March, as she was secretly keeping a new chimp in a cage in the basement of her home where she once confined Tonka. Justice is impossible if participants in the judicial system lie. This case should send a message that those lies will not be tolerated, nor will violations of plea agreements and pretrial release conditions.”
“This case is not about Tonia Haddix’s exotic animal business,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Her sentence today reflects her blatant disregard of our judicial process by telling wild lies under oath in front of a federal judge.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
Interim United States Attorney Thomas C. Albus Sworn InRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Interim United States Attorney Thomas C. Albus was sworn in Friday, becoming the new head prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri.
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross performed the ceremony at about 11:30 a.m. Mr. Albus was appointed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi. He replaces former Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake, who will now resume his previous post as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Mr. Albus is a veteran prosecutor. From 2002-2019, he prosecuted white collar, tax, public corruption and other cases at the U.S. Attorney's Office. In 2019, he joined the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, becoming First Assistant to then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt. In 2020, Mr. Albus was sworn in as a St. Louis County Circuit Judge, having been appointed by Missouri Gov. Michael Parson.
Mr. Albus is a native of St. Louis County, Missouri. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1994 and the University of Missouri School of Law in 1997. He then clerked for the late Lawrence G. Crahan on the Missouri Court of Appeals and for Judge John C. Holstein on the Missouri Supreme Court. Following that, he worked in the litigation department of what is now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in St. Louis.
The Eastern District of Missouri includes 49 counties and is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
The Eastern District of Missouri leads the nation in prosecuting gun crimes, including cases involving carjackings, armed robberies and murders, and is third in the nation in prosecuting crimes against children.
Pair Sentenced for Multiple St. Louis CarjackingsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who participated in three carjackings in St. Louis in 2022 to 319 months in prison.
Evidence and testimony at a trial in March showed that Jaylen Mays, 28, committed the first carjacking less than six months after being released from parole for committing a previous carjacking, and three carjackings in just eight days. On Nov. 5, 2022, Mays and others stole a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu from the downtown business district, according to trial evidence and testimony. On Nov. 11, 2022, Mays and Quinn Turner stole a 2007 Chevrolet Impala at gunpoint.
Two days later, Turner drove the Malibu containing Mays and a juvenile to a gas station at the northwest corner of Russell Boulevard and South 7th Street in the Soulard neighborhood, where a juvenile riding with Mays and another person carjacked a 2017 GMC Terrain and stole the driver’s wallet, the trial showed. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Crime Task Force utilized spike strips to stop the Malibu as it was leaving the gas station, and found Turner, Mays and the juvenile inside.
In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin pointed out that carjackings create a real fear in the surrounding community and dissuade local residents from visiting the areas where the crimes occur.
Turner and Mays, both of East St. Louis, Illinois, were each convicted of two counts of carjacking with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm and two charges of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mays was convicted of an additional carjacking charge.
Judge Schelp sentenced Turner, now 23, on July 22 to 230 months in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Stealing from Financial Firm’s CustomersRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced the former employee of a financial firm who used client information to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients to 65 months in prison.
From August 2022 through April of 2024, Calvin Lee Gray, 24, used his access to customers’ private information in a long-running scheme to attempt to steal more than $550,000 from dozens of victims. He was successful in stealing $357,582, which he will now have to repay.
Gray used his position at the firm to view private customer information for hundreds of accounts without a legitimate purpose, and stole customer information including birthdates, Social Security numbers and financial account information. He used that information to impersonate customers in phone calls and electronic communication with other financial institutions, to change their addresses to his own and have their credit cards reissued to him. He also applied for new lines of credit. He used that information to travel, buy luxury goods, gamble and transfer money to other accounts under his control. Gray opened a checking account in one customer’s name, transferred other customers’ money into that account and then withdrew $1,780 in a series of ATM transactions. Gray fabricated identification documents with his picture but the personal information of others so that he could use those documents to access financial accounts.
Gray also fabricated identification documents in the name of his mother, Joann Helms. Helms withdrew money from the account of one victim twice, via an ATM. She allowed Gray to use her account to launder the proceeds of his crime. She also went on shopping sprees her son, during which he made lavish purchases, her plea says. Helms used some of the money Gray gave her to make other purchases, including methamphetamine.
Gray, of Columbia, Missouri, who is also known as Dustin Whitehead, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of fraud in connection with identification documents. Helms now 52, of De Soto, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of fraud in connection with identification documents. She is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has also barred Gray from working for or associating with any firm that is a FINRA member.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others to enrich themselves. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.
Seven Face Methamphetamine Charges in Southeast MissouriRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Seven southeast Missouri residents have been arrested on federal indictments accusing them of drug crimes.
All were indicted on July 1, 2025, and were arrested in a coordinated operation in recent weeks involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Sikeston Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Charleston Police Department, the Mississippi County Sheriff's Office, the Scott County Sheriff's Office and the Missouri Air National Guard.
Walter L. Rainey Jr., 51, of Sikeston, appeared in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday facing two counts of methamphetamine distribution. His detention motion says he sold a total of four ounces of meth during an investigation conducted by the DEA and the Sikeston DPS in 2024.
Sikeston residents Ruben R. Hampton, 28, Rachaun L. Dorsey, 46, and Raheem O. Jones, 27, each face at least one count of methamphetamine distribution. Hampton faces a total of four, as well as two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dorsey faces three counts of methamphetamine distribution. Motions seeking to have the men held in jail until trial say they sold meth during a Sikeston DPS investigation.
Malcom J. Turner, 34, of Sikeston, Christopher A. Howard, 48, of Sikeston, and William J. Bogan III, 26, of Scott City, in Scott County, Missouri, were each indicted separately with one count of methamphetamine distribution. A detention motion says the men sold meth during a DEA investigation.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“The indictment of these individuals proves once again that no jurisdiction is immune to the presence of narcotics,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “The DEA, in conjunction with our partners at the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and other law enforcement agencies, are to be applauded for investigating and removing these individuals from the streets of Southeast Missouri.”
“This operation shows the ongoing collaboration between local and federal law enforcement,” said Sikeston Department of Public Safety Chief James B. McMillen. “Continuing to work together and sharing intelligence is the key to success. Our DEA partners are a vital part of our efforts to remove these dangerous people from our community.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hahn and Julie Hunter are prosecuting the cases.
St. Louis Postal Worker Admits Stealing Checks from Mail, Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former U.S. Postal Service mail handler on Wednesday admitted committing pandemic fraud and stealing checks from hundreds of pieces of mail.
Anthony Virdure II, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of mail theft and one count of wire fraud.
On Dec. 1, 2023, U.S. Postal Inspectors were called to the Hazelwood Police Department to examine 30 stolen checks that were found in a rental vehicle when it was returned. The postal inspectors determined that the checks had been routed through the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center at 1720 Market Street in St. Louis, where Virdure worked as a mail handler. He had access to all first-class mail routed through the center. Virdure’s fingerprints were found on one check that he’d removed from a letter that he’d stolen.
On Jan. 3, 2024, the Frontenac Police Department contacted postal inspectors about checks that had been left behind when a tenant vacated an apartment in St. Louis. All the checks had been routed through the Processing and Distribution Center where Virdure worked, and his fingerprints were found on one of the checks.
On April 30, 2024, law enforcement agents conducted a court-approved search of an apartment and found 298 more stolen checks, many with Virdure’s fingerprints.
The total value of the checks stolen by the defendant was $68,486.
In addition to the theft of the checks, Virdure admitted fraudulently applying for and receiving a $20,832 Pandemic Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2021 for a tobacco store called Virdure Dynamics. Virdure admitted falsely claiming that he was the sole proprietor of the store, which he falsely claimed had a gross income of $100,000.
Virdure is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30. The wire fraud charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The mail theft charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and the same fine. He will also be required to repay the money.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Frontenac Police Department and the Hazelwood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Selling Fentanyl, Methamphetamine to PoliceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted selling fentanyl and a pound of methamphetamine to an undercover police detective.
Stephon Murphy, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. He admitted selling the drugs to an undercover detective with the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force on four occasions. On May 24, 2024, Murphy sold 111.8 grams of meth in the parking lot of an apartment in St. Louis County. On June 13, 2024, Murphy sold 113.6 grams of meth and 8.58 grams of fentanyl to the detective at the same location. On July 11, 2024, outside of an apartment building in St. Louis, Murphy sold 113.3 grams of meth and 3.9 grams of fentanyl. At the final sale, on August 7, 2024, outside of the same building, Murphy sold 112.3 grams of meth and 14.4 grams of fentanyl. He had what appeared to be a pistol with a drum magazine concealed in his pants, his plea agreement says.
Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar is prosecuting the case.
Man Admits Being Caught with Gun and Drugs After Striking City of St. Louis Worker During ChaseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was fleeing from St. Louis police with a gun and drugs in his car when he struck and injured a city employee pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Jorden M. Owens, 23, of Florissant, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Owens admitted being spotted by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on Dec. 12, 2024, near the intersection of Page Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue in a stolen Lexus RC350 coupe. Officers began following Owens on Grand Boulevard, then used spike strips to try and safely stop him. Owens fled at a high rate of speed. His reckless driving caused about 60 employees of a local business who were crossing the street near Tucker Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue to run out of the way. At the intersection of 7th Street and Cerre Street, Owens struck and injured an employee of the City of St. Louis Traffic Division and then crashed into her work truck. He was arrested after fleeing the crash on foot, despite his violent attempts to resist that arrest. Owens had a Glock .40-caliber pistol equipped with an auto sear, or “switch,” that rendered it into a fully automatic weapon in the bag he carried. The car contained three cell phones and a total of 824.7 grams (1.8 pounds) of methamphetamine and 342 grams of fentanyl.
Owens is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3. Each count is punishable by from five to 40 years in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth is prosecuting the case.
Warren County Man Admits Sharing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Warren County, Missouri on Thursday admitted sharing child sexual abuse material online.
Donald Carl Held, 50, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He admitted sharing photos with an undercover investigator with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that Held claimed depicted a 15-year-old girl. He also claimed he was engaged in sexual activity with the teen. A joint HSI - St. Charles County Police Department investigation resulted in a court-approved search of Held’s home on March 4, 2024, that recovered electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Held told investigators that he shared CSAM almost every day with others online via a messaging app, Teleguard. He said he lied about the teen.
Held’s cellphone contained 1,077 images and videos with CSAM. His Teleguard and Telegram accounts contained “extensive” communications between Held and others during which they shared and promoted CSAM. Held also advised others on how to avoid law enforcement detection.
Held is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27. Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up 20 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Franklin County Man Sentenced for Committing Fraud with Checks Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a man who committed fraud with checks stolen from the U.S. Mail to 23 months in prison.
Judge Pitlyk also ordered Matthew Cahill to pay restitution of $30,737. From roughly February 2020 through September 2021, Cahill and his co-conspirators stole personal and business checks, bank account information and the personally identifying information of multiple victims by stealing outgoing or delivered mail from mailboxes, homes and vehicles. Cahill and the others then altered the checks or created counterfeit checks before using the checks at retail stores, depositing them or cashing them. Cahill also electronically accessed a victim’s account and sent an unauthorized online ACH payment to an associate. The scheme created an actual and intended loss of $67,807.
“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who engage in mail theft will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. The Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state, and federal partners to bring mail theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.
Cahill, now 41, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of bank fraud.
Donald Anderson, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $26,527 to victims.
Joshua Hopkins, 36, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to repay $1,395.
Harvey Hale, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $19,550.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles investigated the case.
Three Admit Stealing Jewelry, Valuables from St. Louis County HomesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men from Florida have admitted stealing jewelry and other valuables worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from homes in St. Louis County, including Ladue and Chesterfield.
Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, 33, and Jonathan Vejar-Caro, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Ovalle-Taibo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the transportation of stolen goods and Vejar-Caro to one count of transportation of stolen goods.
Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez, now 21, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of stolen goods in December and has been sentenced to 14 months in prison.
All three admitted travelling on June 9, 2023, to St. Louis County, where they scouted possible burglary targets and purchased items to use in home break-ins. That evening Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro stole luxury items worth more than $330,000 from a home in Ladue, including jewelry, handbags and watches. They drove to Illinois and stayed in an Airbnb before returning to Florida to sell the stolen goods.
On June 16, 2023, Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro burglarized a home in unincorporated St. Louis County which was investigated by the Frontenac Police Department. They stole about $128,000 worth of items, primarily jewelry. They next day, they burglarized two homes in Chesterfield, stealing about $188,500 worth of items from one home and $44,000 from the other.
Ovalle-Taibo and Vejar-Caro are scheduled to be sentenced in October. All three are in the United States illegally and will likely be deported upon their release from prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Ladue Police Department, the Frontenac Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Felon Caught with Guns and Drugs Sentenced to 97 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a felon caught with guns, fentanyl and cocaine base to 97 months in prison.
Jordin White, 24, of St. Louis, was spotted on April 29, 2024, by detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Anti-Crime Task Force in a stolen Chrysler 300 with a firearm magazine protruding from the pocket of his shorts. After officers detained White, they found a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun in his pocket. They found an AR-style pistol, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition in the car, as well as more ammunition, a large amount of cash, a scale, and 107 capsules containing fentanyl and cocaine base.
On June 5, 2024, the Anti-Crime Task Force saw White in an Audi A4 on a parking lot conducting hand-to-hand transactions with unknown individuals. Despite being spike-stripped by police, White drove off in the Audi until he lost control of the car and abandoned it. White then fled on foot while holding a Glock handgun equipped with a large-capacity drum magazine loaded with 32 rounds of ammunition. Officers also found six knotted baggies containing 127.98 grams of marijuana.
White pleaded guilty in March to three felony counts: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Jury Convicts Man Who Targeted Metro Air Support Helicopter in St. Louis with LaserRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A jury on Wednesday found a man guilty of a crime for temporarily blinding Metro Air Support pilots with a laser pointer.
Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis took roughly 20 minutes to convict Joshua J. Johnson, 44, of one felony count of knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. The trial started Tuesday afternoon with jury selection.
Evidence and testimony at the trial showed that shortly before 9:45 p.m. on August 9, 2024, Johnson used a blue laser to target a marked Metro Air Support helicopter that was flying over the Benton Park neighborhood in St. Louis in support of other officers. A St. Louis County Police Department pilot and a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department pilot were temporarily blinded when blue light flooded the cockpit. As the blue light started to wane, the officers were able to track the beam to the driver’s side of a vehicle below them. The officers then tracked the vehicle as it drove down the street. The driver aimed the laser at the helicopter again. The officers continued to track the vehicle and provided updates to officers on the ground, who stopped the vehicle and arrested the sole occupant – Johnson. After initially denying that he pointed the laser, he later admitted that he was responsible. He also admitted that fact in calls from jail.
Laser pointers are widely available and range in power. The strongest models can permanently blind air crews. Those who point lasers at aircraft can also be subject to civil penalties of up to $11,000 imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Pilots reported 12,840 laser strikes to the FAA in 2024.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30. The crime carries a potential punishment of up to five years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Air Support Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohsen Pasha and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.