Eastern District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Dunklin County Woman Sentenced for Aiding $565,000 FraudRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge on Tuesday sentenced a money mule to fifteen months imprisonment for moving $565,000 in stolen funds.
Sheri L. Reeves acted as a money courier or “money mule,” transferring money obtained by fraud to others. On June 9, 2020, Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and later added the name of the fraud victim to the account. Reeves’ co-conspirators used fraudulently obtained account information to access the victim’s account and transfer a total of $565,000 to Reeves’ account. She then sent the money to others using cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM in Dunklin County. She also sent her account information to others and withdrew or attempted to withdraw the proceeds in cash or by check, her plea agreement says.
Despite being warned by the FBI, Reeves continued to assist in the commission of financial crimes.
Reeves, 55, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of aiding and abetting bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. In addition to the sentence of fifteen months imprisonment, Reeves was ordered to pay $565,000 in restitution to the Bank of America, and to serve a term of five years supervised release upon her release from imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.
If you believe you are participating in a money mule scheme or a victim of one, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or contact your local FBI office.
Armed Robber Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man who robbed a St. Louis County, Missouri store at gunpoint to 84 months in prison.
Daniel D. Martin entered a dollar store on Midland Boulevard on Aug. 29, 2021, and threw a package of Skittles on the counter. As the cashier rang up the candy, Martin displayed a handgun and demanded money. He fled the store with $267.34.
Martin, 22, of Ferguson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.
Two St. Louis Area Doctors Admit Health CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two doctors from the St. Louis, Missouri area have pleaded guilty to federal crimes.
Dr. Asim Muhammad Ali, 54, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances and to maintain a drug-involved premises. Dr. Mohd Azfar Malik, 71, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of making false statements related to health care matters. Malik, a psychiatrist, also agreed to surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration registrations authorizing him to administer controlled substances.
As part of his plea agreement Thursday, Dr. Ali admitted agreeing to perform health care services for Medicare patients of a company Dr. Malik owned, Psych Care Consultants LLC, but bill using Dr. Malik’s name and Medicare billing number. The doctors billed Medicare for “annual wellness visits,” a yearly appointment in which the health care provider develops, creates, or updates a personalized prevention plan and performs tasks including a cognitive function assessment. Dr. Ali did not see them in person but called asked a series of questions. Dr. Ali admitted that Medicare paid $3,902 for the fraudulent claims.
Dr. Malik admitted submitting claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurers in which he falsely claimed to have performed in-person services when he was out of Missouri or out of the country. In one example in the plea agreement, Dr. Malik admitted submitting a claim to Missouri Medicaid for an initial inpatient hospital visit on Dec. 3, 2023. Dr. Malik was in Hawaii at the time. He also admitted billing a private insurance company for the intravenous infusion of ketamine when he was out of town. The infusion was conducted by Dr. Ali. Dr. Malik knew Dr. Ali was under indictment and lacked a DEA registration authorizing him to administer controlled substances, including ketamine. Dr. Malik admitted causing a total loss of $19,442 to Medicare, Medicaid, and the private health care insurers,
Dr. Ali also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances, one count of illegally prescribing controlled substances, one count of paying illegal kickbacks for referrals and one count of a submitting false claims last year in a separate 2020 case. He admitted involvement in a conspiracy to pay kickbacks for urine specimens referred for testing to one of his companies, Central Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Ali also pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances to be given to patients on their next visit to one of his other businesses, the Institute for Pain Management LLC. Dr. Ali did not see the patients on the dates they received the prescriptions and rarely looked at patient charts or determined a legitimate medical need for the controlled substances that they were prescribing. Dr. Ali also signed prescriptions for patients who appeared to be selling or giving away their controlled substances.
Dr. Ali is scheduled to sentenced on August 25 for both cases. Dr. Malik is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting Thursday’s case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric, Derek Wiseman and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the 2020 case.
St. Louis Felon Admits Being Caught Three Times with GunsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis felon on Thursday admitted being caught by police three times with a gun.
Damon L. Foster, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Jan. 1, 2024, a license plate reader alerted Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers to a stolen Ford F-250 truck. Officers then located the vehicle. After a high-speed chase, Foster crashed into the wall of a skating rink in a park. He ran away, discarding a 9mm pistol with a 33-round capacity. He also had pouch clipped to his chest that contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
On May 15, 2024, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Foster on an unregistered motorcycle. He resisted officers but was arrested and police found a 9mm pistol in his pocket.
On Sept. 7, 2024, police responding to a call about squatters spotted Foster with a silver .22-caliber revolver.
Foster is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 22. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Foster’s lawyer have agreed to recommend 70 months in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting 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.
Romanian Man Accused of Sleight-of-Hand Crimes in Missouri, Other StatesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Romanian national has been accused of running a “confidence” or “sleight-of-hand” scheme at Target stores around the country.
Bobi Covaciu, 38, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 16, 2025. He was arrested in the Southern District of Texas two days later. On Thursday, after being brought to St. Louis, he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The indictment accuses Covaciu of using the scheme at Target stores across the country from September 2023 to September 2024, including in eastern Missouri. Covaciu tricked cashiers into believing that he had paid the full amount of cash for a purchase, but pocketed bills and shortchanged the retailer, oftentimes by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction, the indictment says. On numerous occasions, Covaciu returned the merchandise for a full cash refund, the indictment says.
In one transaction referenced in the indictment, Covaciu pocketed $2,300 of the $2,865 transaction.
A motion seeking to have Covaciu detained in jail until trial says he victimized stores in more than a dozen states.
Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine 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.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Former Illinois Police Officer Sentenced for Assaulting Handcuffed ManRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a former police officer who struck a handcuffed man in the face to two years in prison.
Justin Gaither was in full uniform and on duty with the Venice Police Department on Nov. 20, 2022, when he began pursuing a car that was displaying stolen license plates. The car drove over spike strips that Gaither deployed, then over the McKinley Bridge and into St. Louis. A Brooklyn Police Department officer was also pursuing the car. The pursuit ended in the 3800 block of Parnell Avenue in St. Louis. The vehicle’s occupants ran away. Gaither, the Brooklyn officer and that officer’s K-9 chased the driver. The driver was bitten while climbing over a fence and fell. His hands were then handcuffed behind his back by the Brooklyn officer. As Gaither lifted the driver from the ground to escort him to a police vehicle, he struck the driver twice in the face without justification and without a legitimate purpose, breaking the driver’s nose.
Gaither, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The right violated in this case is the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force under the Fourth Amendment.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.
Two Convicted in St. Louis of Laundering Drug Proceeds for Sinaloa CartelRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men were convicted Wednesday of all charges related to their laundering of money in the St. Louis area for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Carl Von Garrett, 54, of St. Charles, Missouri and Tobiyyah Israel, 38, of Ohio, were each found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis 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. The trial began on May 12.
Two others have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the case. Luis Miguel Hernandez, 38, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering and Antonio Jones, 51, of Florissant, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering. Hernandez was sentenced in January to 87 months in prison and Jones was sentenced to 37 months in prison.
As part of his plea agreement, Hernandez 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, to deliver $100,095 in drug proceeds. Hernandez then arranged a series of meetings between Jones 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 and $100,100 on May 18. On May 25, 2021, Jones delivered $100,100.
During closing arguments Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Delworth told jurors that Von Garrett was the “focal point” of the conspiracy and Israel was a courier, like Jones. On April 14, Israel picked up $221, 020 from Von Garrett. Von Garrett was stopped by investigators, who found six phones and a ledger that contained dates and amounts of money roughly corresponding to cash drops, Delworth said. Israel told investigators that he’d been promised $1,000 to pick up the cash, and that he’d done so once before.
The money drops continued. On May 18, Jones delivered $110,100 and $100,100 one week later.
Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on August 21.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, 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.
Three Colombian Nationals Plead Guilty in St. Louis, Admit Cocaine SmugglingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three Colombian nationals have admitted involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
Jesus Jhormen Mosquera-Quinto, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reason to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States and one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel.
Mosquera-Quinto admitted being part of a drug trafficking organization in the Turbo region of northwestern Colombia that manufactured cocaine and used unregistered go-fast vessels (GFVs) to transport thousands of kilograms of cocaine into Central America that were ultimately destined for the United States.
Carlos Mario Agresott Salas, 41, and Joan Sebastian Supulveda Mona, 34, each pleaded guilty in December of 2024 to the same charges.
Supulveda Mona coordinated the shipments while Mosquera-Quinto and Agresott Salas handled day-to-day logistics and were present at the departure of GFVs.
At least three shipments were tied to the men. A GFV was intercepted on June 17, 2021, by the Colombian Navy with about 1,256 kilograms of cocaine and four Colombian nationals on board. Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona then discussed in phone calls the best way to pay the lawyers and the judge so that the captured smugglers would receive house arrest at sentencing.
On Nov. 8, 2021, another GFV was intercepted and seized by the Colombian Navy and Colombian Coast Guard, this time with 195 kilograms of cocaine on board. On March 17, 2022, a third GFV was intercepted by the Colombian Navy and Colombian Coast Guard with 1,606 kilograms of cocaine on board.
Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2021. Mosquera-Quinto was added in a superseding indictment in 2022. Sepulveda Mona was extradited from Colombia on June 19, 2024. Mosquera Quinto and Agresott Salas were extradited from Colombia on August 14, 2024.
Agresott Salas and Supulveda Mona were each sentenced in March to 66 months in prison.
The case is being prosecuted in St. Louis because maritime drug smuggling cases can be brought in any federal court district within the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Colombian Navy, the Colombian Coast Guard, Colombian law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of all three defendants. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jim Delworth, Samantha Reitz and Erin Granger 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 Admits Stealing Dead Relative’s Government BenefitsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted stealing a dead relative’s government benefits.
Alphonso Dixon, 57, of St. Louis County, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money.
Dixon’s relative died on Dec. 31, 2008, but her death was not reported to the Social Security Administration and her Social Security benefits continued to be deposited into her bank account. She also received at least one COVID-related stimulus payment, on April 7, 2021, as well as pension benefits from the City of St. Louis Employees Retirement System. Dixon accessed her bank account and used that money for his own benefit.
In all, Dixon took $115,392 in Social Security benefits, the $1,400 stimulus payment and $36,000 in pension money.
Dixon is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to over Nine Years in Prison for Church ArsonRead the Press Release
A Missouri man was sentenced yesterday to 111 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp for the Eastern District of Missouri for burning down a Cape Girardeau, Missouri house of worship in 2021. He was also ordered to pay $6,968,223.36 in restitution for damages incurred by the church.
Christopher Scott Pritchard, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in Cape Girardeau, on Dec. 19, 2024, to one count of arson and one count of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act. Pritchard admitted setting fire to the house of worship owned and used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, during the evening of April 28, 2021. Pritchard was spotted watching the fire and was arrested about 1.5 miles away by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office. Pritchard smelled like smoke and had a backpack containing a laptop computer, a projector, speakers and 21 apples that he’d stolen from the church. Pritchard told deputies that he’d gotten into a verbal altercation with the Bishop of the church a few days before the fire and had threatened to assault the Bishop and burn the church down.
The fire destroyed the building and prevented the congregants in the free exercise of their religious beliefs. No one was injured.
“There is no place in America for criminal acts against houses of worship,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division thanks its law enforcement partners for prosecuting this matter.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon and U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri made the announcement.
The FBI St. Louis Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.
Five Romanians Admit Bank Fraud Involving ATM Skimming DevicesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Five Romanian nationals have admitted installing skimming devices on St. Louis area ATMs to harvest bank account information from customers and commit fraud.
Mihai Vlaicu, 48, and Mihai Florin Marinescu, 37, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Courtin St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, 33, pleaded guilty to the same charge in March and Nelu Nae, 37, and Venera Isabelle Dumitru, 28, pleaded guilty to the charge in April. A sixth person indicted in the case, Ianus Nita, 53, has not yet been arrested.
In their plea agreements, the five admit stealing bank account information via skimming devices and then using, or attempting to use, that information to withdraw money from ATMs.
Around January of 2024, Vlaicu and Marinescu installed skimming devices on at least two bank ATMs, one in Clayton and one in Frontenac. They obtained the information of at least six victims, and then used cloned cards to try and withdraw cash.
On five days in April, Dumitru and Ivan used account information from two other victims to withdraw cash from ATMs in St. Louis. Ivan obtained $1,421 and Dumitru obtained $1,070.50.
On April 25, Dumitru and Ivan tried to withdraw cash from a St. Louis County ATM using an account number belonging to another victim. On April 30, Vlaicu tried to withdraw money from a St. Louis County ATM using the banking information of six victims.
On May 2, Marinescu unsuccessfully tried to install a skimming device on an ATM in south St. Louis County. Nae retrieved the device the next day.
On May 9, Marinescu installed a skimming device on an ATM in Wildwood. On May 11, Nita withdrew cash belonging to two victims from a St. Louis County ATM.
On May 28, Marinescu and Nae installed a skimming device on an ATM in St. Louis, which was located and removed by law enforcement before Nita and Vlaicu could retrieve it.
The conspirators were using an Airbnb in St. Louis County as a base for their criminal activity. Investigators found a laptop computer there containing hundreds of videos of customers entering their PINs when they used an ATM 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.
Ivan is scheduled to be sentenced June 25, Dumitru on July 10, Nae on July 23 and Marinescu and Vlaicu on August 20. The charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.
Ivan, Dumitru, Marinescu are not legally in the United States.
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 is prosecuting the case.
Missouri Man Sentenced to 230 Months in Prison for Transporting Minor for SexRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who admitted transporting a minor across state lines for sex to 230 months in prison.
Scott M. Arnold-Micke, 48, of Rolla, Missouri met the 17-year-old victim in 2021 and took him to Chicago, where they used drugs and engaged in sexual acts. Arnold-Micke engaged in drug use with the victim on an almost daily basis after Arnold-Micke moved from Sullivan, Missouri to Rolla.
Arnold-Micke, 48, pleaded guilty in January to one count of transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Rolla Police Department with assistance from the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.
“The FBI is unrelenting when it comes to protecting children,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “I commend those who brought this crime to light in order to get this child predator off the streets and in prison where he belongs.”
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 Admits Contacting Minor OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted sending sexual messages to an FBI special agent pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
Jamal W. Kimball, 31, of Jefferson County, Missouri pleaded guilty to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor.
Kimball contacted an undercover FBI special agent posing as a 13-year-old girl on Kik Messenger, and the two communicated between December 2022 and May 2023. Kimball sent sexual communications and images of his genitals to the agent. The Kansas City office of the FBI alerted the St. Louis office in July of 2013, and a court-approved search of Kimball’s home found his cellular telephone and other electronic items. A search of the phone revealed that Kimball had solicited and received child sexual abuse material from a 15-year-old in Ohio via Snapchat.
Kimball is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20.
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.
Arizona Mechanic Sentenced to Prison, Must Repay $1.37 Million for Defrauding Missouri Customer, OthersRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a purported auto mechanic from Arizona to 33 Months in Prison and ordered him to repay $1.37 million to his fraud victims.
Beginning in November 2019, Andres “Manny” Lopez, 37, defrauded customers of his Arizona company, All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC, by accepting money for vehicles, vehicle upgrades and parts with no intention of performing the work or turning over the vehicles. He also damaged some customer vehicles and loaned vehicles to others without the owners’ consent.
A Missouri victim who wanted to buy a vehicle for his mother wired Lopez $45,000 for a Toyota RAV4. Lopez falsely claimed that he’d bought the vehicle, and then provided a series of false excuses about why it was not being delivered. Lopez claimed delivery delays were due to product recalls and even impersonated the general manager of a Florida Toyota dealership in text messages to the client’s mother.
After Lopez was indicted in October of 2023, he defrauded another victim out of approximately $567,892.
Lopez used the money for personal expenses.
In a letter to the court, one victim spoke of Lopez’s pattern: “Promise… then a reason why I cannot meet that promise… then a new promise… then repeat the string (for years).”
Lopez pleaded guilty in February U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.
“For years, Andres Lopez lied to customers to line his own pockets. The lies and manipulation continued even after he had been charged for the crime and released on bond,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Today, Lopez earned every day of his prison sentence for victimizing people with his fraudulent business practices.”
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting case.
St. Louis Area Man Accused of Fentanyl, Meth DealingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man accused of involvement in methamphetamine and fentanyl dealing was arrested by the FBI in Richmond Heights, Missouri Friday.
Albert James, 47, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded not guilty Friday.
The indictment accuses James of agreeing with others in 2021 to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth and 400 grams of fentanyl. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $18,920 in cash.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards said the charges related to a traffic stop in Oklahoma, when James was caught with pounds of meth and fentanyl.
“This is part of a larger on-going investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Perpetrators should not underestimate the FBI’s expertise, resources, and tenacity to dismantle criminal networks.”
Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of at least 10 years, with a maximum term of life.
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 Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Admits Seeking Nude Pictures from Children OnlineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted soliciting nude images of children that he’d approached online, and receiving images of one 12-year-old victim.
Alsaphone Hunt, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography.
Hunt initiated communications with an 8-year-old girl in Maryland via Facebook Messenger in February of 2021. After an initial exchange of messages, the girl’s mother took over the phone. Hunt asked if the girl wanted to “see something that you like to see on a boy.” He asked to see her genitals, and then sent a photo of his. The mother stopped responding and contacted local police after Hunt sent images containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Police officers identified Hunt and forwarded their findings to the St. Louis County Police Department.
On March 1, 2021, a St. Louis County Police Department detective pretending to be a 10-year-old girl “friended” Hunt on Facebook. Hunt then contacted the detective via Facebook Messenger. Hunt became increasingly sexually explicit and sent CSAM and photos of male genitals. On March 5, 2021, police arrested Hunt at the fast-food restaurant where he worked. He admitted sending CSAM and a picture of his genitals and allowed investigators to search the phone he’d been using to communicate with the 8-year-old and the detective.
A search of the phone revealed the presence of 65 video files and 165 image files containing CSAM as well as 55 image files containing child erotica. Investigators also learned that Hunt had coerced or enticed a 12-year-old into sending him CSAM that she produced.
Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Hunt’s lawyers have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Police, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations 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.
Missouri Woman Admits International Embezzlement that Cost Employer $3.8 MillionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri woman on Thursday admitted embezzling at least $3.8 million from her employer with the help of co-conspirators in China.
Bridget Thebeau, 45, of St. Charles County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to five counts of wire fraud. She admitted embezzling from her employer from roughly January 2015 to March 2024 via more than 200 fraudulent purchase orders. Thebeau struck a deal with some of her employer’s suppliers in China in which she caused the company to pay the suppliers for products that the company did not need and never received. In exchange, Thebeau’s co-conspirators in China shared the proceeds of the scam with her. Thebeau tried to hide her crime with fraudulent shipping labels and fraudulent bills of lading issued by the China-based suppliers, fraudulent invoices that she created and claimed she had issued to the company’s customers and false information she supplied to the company’s owner and accountants.
Ultimately, Thebeau triggered fraudulent payments of at least $3,821,152 to the company’s China-based suppliers, and in return her co-conspirators wired her more than $2 million.
Thebeau was hired in 2002 by the family-owned company. Her crime resulted in substantial financial hardship to the company’s owner, who is no longer able to retire due to her embezzlement, the plea agreement says.
Thebeau is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 11, 2025. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Man Who Sold Fentanyl that Killed Twins Sentenced to 14 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man who sold the fentanyl that killed two twin brothers in St. Charles County in 2023 to 14 years in prison.
Jesse Charleston, 35, of Florissant, pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Charleston admitted as part of his plea that on March 21, 2023, he supplied the fentanyl that killed the men. He admitted giving one of the men four capsules for free as “testers.” The victims were discovered dead in their apartment in St. Charles County the next evening of acute fentanyl intoxication. Investigators found fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, and text messages with Charleston on one victim’s phone on March 21 discussing a drug transaction. Early the next morning, Charleston texted, “Did you like it.”
A detective with the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force began responding to texts to that victim’s phone from Charles. The detective supplied the name of an undercover officer when Charleston asked if he knew anyone else who “likes what the defendant has,” the plea agreement says. The undercover officer purchased 12 capsules containing para-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl from Charleston for $100 on March 27, 2023, at a gas station in St. Charles County. Charleston took those 12 capsules from a bag of about 30 more. He was arrested later that day.
“This case exemplifies the dangerousness of fentanyl,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald wrote in a sentencing memo. “In recent years fentanyl and fentanyl analogues have caused far too many overdose deaths in the St. Louis community and across this country, including the two overdose deaths in this case.”
“This case is just one example that highlights St. Charles County’s regional law enforcement working together with our federal partners to combat serious crime that affects families across the area,” said St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Charles County Police and St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald prosecuted the case.
Man Accused of Concealing Death of Disabled Veteran for Years to Reap Financial BenefitsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Salem, Missouri was indicted on Wednesday and accused of concealing the death of his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for at least five years so that he could steal at least $650,000 of his disability benefits.
Brian K. Ditch, 44, is now facing four felony counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The indictment alleges that Ditch was solely responsible for his uncle’s care beginning in 2008, and kept his uncle locked in his garage and under his control so he could fraudulently obtain his government benefits. Instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch trapped him in the garage for over 24 hours at a time, forcing his uncle “to sit in his own urine and feces without the ability to eat or drink,” the indictment says. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed his death and the body so that he could continue to receive the money, the indictment says. It says Ditch told relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home.
His uncle received $9,559 per month in Disability Compensation benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the indictment says. The VA would not have continued to pay had they known Ditch’s uncle was dead, the indictment says. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and Retirement Insurance benefits from the Social Security Administration since 2008.
Ditch used the money to buy exotic reptiles, fund lavish vacations and enrich himself, the indictment says. Salem police officers found the uncle’s partially frozen body in a trash can in March, as well as three shotguns, the indictment says. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms.
Ditch is expected to plead not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday.
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 Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General is committed to holding accountable anyone who exploits veterans or steals their VA benefits," said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the VA OIG’s Central Field Office. “VA’s programs and services are established to justly compensate deserving veterans and the VA OIG will bring to justice those who would defraud these programs.”
The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Felon Who Fatally Shot Man Sentenced to 9 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man who shot an acquaintance in 2023 to nine years in prison.
Clayton Pierce Davis, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
On July 4, 2023, Davis was celebrating with others in St. Louis. After a Fourth of July event, the group went to a shop on the corner of Gravois Avenue and Chippewa Street in south St. Louis. An argument started and Davis fired 12 shots from a handgun, fatally shooting a man and wounding his girlfriend. At least one of the victims was armed and the woman fired one shot.
Davis is a felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. He has prior convictions for robbery, riot in a penal institution, dog fighting, stealing and assault.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie Schneider prosecuted the case.St. Louis County Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography Involving ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a woman from St. Louis County, Missouri to 25 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material involving a two-year-old.
Judge Sippel also ordered Raven Ainesis Pointer, 27, to pay $15,000 in restitution. After her release from prison, Pointer will be on supervised release for life.
Pointer pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography. Pointer admitted coercing the victim in 2022 into engaging in sexual conduct and using her phone to produce videos containing child sexual abuse material.
On six occasions, Pointer recorded the sexual abuse of the toddler and shared it with others for their “perverse sexual” entertainment, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker says. In jail, Pointer continued to try and contact the child and berated the child’s father for seeking restitution, the memo says.
“The production and sharing of child sexual abuse material is an appalling betrayal of human decency. This defendant targeted an innocent toddler – someone who should have been protected, not exploited – and did so for her own twisted purposes and the gratification of others who feed on this sickness. Crimes like this are not only horrific, but they are also unforgivable,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “We will use every tool we have to find predators like this, to stop them, and make sure they spend as many years as possible behind bars. There is zero tolerance for those who harm children.”
The investigation began in August of 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama, where Homeland Security Investigations agents learned that a man who had been distributing child sexual abuse material had received videos involving a two-year-old victim from Pointer. Investigators then tracked down Pointer in St. Louis.
Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated 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 County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Drug Robbery, CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon who used a machine gun to rob and a carjack the woman selling him drugs to 15 years in prison.
On April 25, 2024, Walter C. Moore, 20, arranged to buy $900 worth of the painkiller Oxycodone from the woman. The seller drove to Moore’s house and invited him to sit in her 2014 Mazda6 to complete the sale. Moore pulled out a handgun, grabbed the Oxycodone pills and ordered the seller out of the car, threatening to shoot her. Moore then sped away.
St. Louis County police located the car near the 1800 block of Chambers Road. Moore ran as police approached, discarding a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” or machinegun conversion device, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. It also had an extended magazine and a laser sight. Police quickly located and arrested Moore. Moore had pictures in his phone of himself holding multiple guns. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.
Moore pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery, carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone 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 Chop Shop Operator Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man on Monday admitted running a “chop shop” that aided car thieves connected to a local gang.
Jorge Alberto Luviano-Martinez, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of operating a chop shop. As part of his plea, he admitted running a chop shop in the 2900 block of Cass Avenue in St. Louis. Members of a local gang, “Big 5,” discussed obtaining electronic keys for stolen vehicles from Luviano-Martinez and switching vehicle identification numbers (VINs) on stolen vehicles. Investigators conducted a court-approved search of the shop on June 10, 2024, finding eight stolen vehicles. One vehicle had its VIN replaced with a new VIN and another vehicle had a VIN removed.
Before the search warrant was served, investigators saw Luviano-Martinez leaving the property in a stolen Jeep. He refused to stop for police, instead leading officers on a chase that lasted about 15 minutes. After driving down a dead end street, Luviano-Martinez jumped out of the Jeep and over a fence, but was arrested.
“Our investigation shut down two chop shops, disrupting a scheme in which gang members were able to easily profit from vehicle thefts,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The impact should help stem the flow of rising vehicle thefts across the region.”
Luviano-Martinez, also known as “Charlie Cruz,” is scheduled to be sentenced in August. The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force, which is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The OCDETF strike forces are permanent, multi-agency, prosecutor-led teams that conduct intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 130 Months in Prison for Violent St. Louis CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man who committed a violent 2023 carjacking to 130 months in prison.
On May 8, 2023, Ahdaejay Britton, now 20, of Bel-Ridge, and a juvenile accomplice watched the victim drive a Mazda 3 into a parking garage in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard and decided to steal it. Britton waited for the victim to reach the bottom of a stairwell, grabbed him from behind and then threw him to the ground before pointing a handgun in his face. Britton demanded the victim’s keys, cell phone and wallet. He then passed the keys to the juvenile, who went to the car. Both later fled in the stolen car.
Police located the car in the 10000 block of New Halls Ferry Road. The juvenile was in the driver’s seat. Britton was in a nearby business. Officers found the victim’s phone and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol in the Mazda.
Britton pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin 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.
Former Velda City Police Chief, Who Also Served as City’s Administrator, Accused of Stealing $313,000 from CityRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The former police chief and city administrator of Velda City, Missouri was accused in an indictment Wednesday of fraudulently obtaining $313,420 in city funds through a series of fraudulent transactions.
Daniel Paulino, 51, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with three counts of wire fraud.
The indictment says Paulino used the city’s credit card to make about 828 charges for his personal expenses totaling about $145,428. The indictment says Paulino used the city credit card on about 17 additional occasions to transfer Velda City funds totaling about $43,870 to a business he owned, R & B Towing, and one owned by his spouse, Renovations-STL. The city funds were ultimately transferred to either Paulino’s personal bank account or the account for another company he owned, D and H Towing, the indictment says.
Paulino caused about eight city checks to be issued in a total amount of about $34,374 to pay third party vendors for his personal expenses, the indictment says. One $25,500 city check was used to pay for a 2007 International tow truck that was then registered in Paulino’s name and used by Paulino’s privately-owned towing company, the indictment says. Paulino caused Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions to be made from a city account to pay third party vendors for $2,575 in personal expenses, the indictment says.
Paulino also caused about 20 direct deposits totaling $30,667 in city funds, purportedly for additional payroll, into his personal account, the indictment says. He caused about 55 direct deposits of a total of about $54,693 in Velda City funds, purportedly for his spouse’s payroll, to be sent to his personal bank account, the indictment says. Paulino’s spouse was being paid for work that was not actually performed in the city’s public works division during the years 2021 through 2023 and Paulino used that money for his own personal expenses, the indictment says.
The indictment also alleges that Paulino caused three city checks totaling $1,800 to be fraudulently issued to him.
The money was transferred without the authority or knowledge of the city, its mayor, treasurer or Board of Aldermen, the indictment says. Paulino used the money for travel, automobiles, pool supplies, utilities at his personal residence and food and beverage charges, the indictment says.
During the scheme, Paulino transferred about $58,171 from his personal or business bank accounts to Velda City’s bank account or the city’s credit card to conceal his crimes, the indictment says.
Paulino was appointed to the city administrator position in 2021. He was police chief until the department was dissolved in 2024.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
2022 St. Louis Murder-For-Hire Results in Life Term in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man to life in prison for the murder of a New Jersey man in 2022.
Moreion Lindsey, 35, was found guilty at a trial in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire. Evidence and testimony showed that Lindsey fatally shot Titus Armstead on April 21, 2022, in Penrose Park in St. Louis.
Lindsey had been hired for the murder by Jerome Williams, at the request of a Seattle man, Ray Bradley, who trafficked cocaine and marijuana to St. Louis and other cities. Bradley falsely blamed Armstead for the theft of drugs and millions of dollars from a Bradley “stash” house in New Jersey. Bradley had Armstead fly to St. Louis, purportedly to protect him from possible harm. Bradley’s real goal was to have him killed in St. Louis because Williams said he knew someone who could do the job, evidence and testimony showed. Lindsey met Armstead at the airport and drove him to Penrose Park, where he fatally shot Armstead with a .45-caliber handgun, evidence showed. He then took a photo of the body using a prepaid “burner” phone to provide proof of the death to Williams and Bradley.
Lindsey was later paid $15,000 by Williams. Williams disposed of evidence, including the burner phone, Armstead’s Social Security card and other belongings. Lindsey had the SUV that he used to drive Armstead to the park reported stolen and then used $5,000 to buy another SUV.
In a victim impact letter to the court, Armstead’s sister wrote, “In a world full of limitless opportunities—where every day offers a chance to grow, create, and build a meaningful life—why choose a path of destruction and harm? It is deeply saddening that amidst all the gifts and possibilities life offers, some would resign themselves to a life of drugs and violence.”
“Moreion Lindsey, you threw away your life for $15,000—an amount you could have earned in six months of full-time work at minimum wage,” she added. “Instead, you chose a path that has deprived your children of a father and your mother of her son. You will spend the rest of your life without freedom—unable to enjoy a warm shower, a comfortable bed, or even the simple joys of being with your family.”
Williams, 52, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of destruction of evidence to obstruct a federal investigation. He was sentenced April 23 to 138 months in prison.
Bradley, 46, pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced in September to 25 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Atlanta Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.Illinois Man Admits Trying to Arrange Florida MurderRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Illinois on Wednesday admitted trying to have a business associate in Florida murdered.
Ben Patrick Mullavey, 66, of Mechanicsburg, in Sangamon County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one felony count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of attempted murder-for-hire. As part of his plea, Mullavey admitted offering cash to a former employee to commit the murder.
On Jan. 3, 2024, Mullavey picked up the former employee in Missouri and took him to a McDonald’s restaurant. There, Mullavey flashed a stack of cash and said he wanted his business partner killed. On Jan.11, 2024, the employee drove to Mullavey’s house. During the next three days, the employee helped Mullavey with construction work as they discussed the murder. Mullavey said he had been planning the murder for months, had conducted surveillance of the victim in Florida and had stolen a Florida license plate in preparation for the murder. Mullavey suggested the best time and place to commit the murder and how to avoid being identified on surveillance cameras. He also discussed several possible ways of disposing of the victim’s body, including using lime to dissolve it. Many of the conversations were audio and video recorded.
On Jan. 13, 2024, the employee left Mullavey’s home with orders to kill the victim. Mullavey also gave him a crossbow, arrows, the stolen Florida license plate, handwritten directions to a restaurant located next door to the victim’s business and $2,100 in cash, Mullavey’s plea agreement says.
Mullavey is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. The attempted murder-for-hire charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.
Former Hospital Worker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a man who produced child pornography and secretly recorded women in the hospital where he worked to 20 years in prison.
Ian Wood, 45, of Rolla, Missouri, pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted producing child pornography by recording video of three girls when they were nude, including when one girl was 10 years old. He also admitted possessing images and videos in his Google account containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The CSAM triggered an alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which notified law enforcement. A court-approved search of Wood’s Google accounts uncovered the CSAM as well as video files of adult women being recorded by Wood without their consent in the hospital where he worked. The women were filmed in a room and shower in a state of full or partial nudity.
“The actions of this individual are not only reprehensible, but they are also a grotesque violation of human dignity and trust. We will relentlessly pursue anyone who preys on the innocent,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito. “This case reflects the firm commitment of HSI and our law enforcement partners to ensure that predators are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice. We will not tolerate exploitation in any form and will use every resource at our disposal to protect our communities.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, the South-Central Missouri Computer Crimes Task Force and the Missouri Department of Social Services’ State Technical Assistance Team 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 Felon Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for $822,000 Fraud, Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a convicted felon who possessed dozens of guns and committed an $822,000 fraud to 84 months in prison.
Dennis Latour, now 41, hatched a scheme in June of 2022 to bilk aspiring investors in the cannabis industry. Latour falsely claimed to have made successful investments in the industry and invited two victims to piggyback on his investment. Latour used the fraudulently obtained money to fund his personal lifestyle and to pay for guns, vehicles, jet skis and other items. One victim lost about $713,000 and the other lost about $109,000. Latour was ordered Friday to repay the money.
Latour, along with his former paramour Jennifer Keegan, also admitted the purchase and possession of dozens of firearms. Latour is a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.
They began in February of 2023, with Keegan filling out the required paperwork, despite knowing that many of the guns would be possessed and/or used by Latour. Their purchases included a Barrett .50-caliber rifle, other rifles, pistols and a shotgun. When the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) performed a court-approved search of the home the couple shared in Des Peres, Missouri on Sept. 26, 2023, they found 27 firearms in a “vault” room and two pistols in the couple’s bedroom.
Latour pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon and 13 counts of wire fraud. Keegan pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon.
Keegan, 51, was sentenced on April 16 to three years of probation.
The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Justin Ladendorf 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.
Missouri Sex Offender Sentenced to 27+ Years in Prison for New Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a registered sex offender from St. Francois County, Missouri to 293 months in prison after the man was caught again with child sexual abuse material.
Judge Autrey added three more years to David Russell Darr Jr.’s sentence because he violated his supervised release in a 2010 case in which he pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
Darr, 35, of St. Francois County near Farmington, pleaded guilty in June to one count of receipt of child pornography. The investigation into Darr began in February of 2023, when the Missouri State Highway Patrol received four separate CyberTipline reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Three tips indicated that Darr had uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and the fourth showed that he sent an image containing CSAM to someone on Instagram, his plea agreement says. A search of his room located a microSD card taped under his bed that also contained CSAM, with more found later on a cell phone, the plea says.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker 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.
Washington, Missouri Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Washington, Missouri on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual activity with a 14-year-old.
Todd Kelly, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography. He admitted making the recordings on his cell phone in June and July of 2023. The victim’s father contacted authorities after learning about the relationship in August of 2023.
Kelly is scheduled to be sentenced July 28. The U.S. Attorney’s office will recommend a prison sentence of 25 years.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker 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.
Two Men Accused of Involvement in Impostor Scam Targeting Missouri ResidentsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from Wisconsin have been accused of acting as couriers for an impostor scam that targeted a Missouri resident.
Srinivas Putta, 42, and Ankurkumar Patel, 43, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on February 26 on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Putta was arrested in Wisconsin on April 14. He appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Patel was arrested March 27 and has also pleaded not guilty.
The indictment accuses the men of involvement in a conspiracy that defrauded victims by pretending to contact them on behalf of financial institutions, law enforcement organizations and government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Treasury and the Federal Trade Commission. One victim was told that his identity had been stolen and that he would be deported if he didn’t act, the indictment says. The indictment also alleges that the victim had been told that his money had been converted to “black money” through identity theft and that he needed to give cards or prepaid debit cards to couriers to transfer the money into an uncontaminated account that the government set up. On Sept. 25, 2023, Putta and Patel tried to collect $144,000 from the victim, who had been told to meet them in a Target parking lot in Missouri, the indictment says. The indictment also alleges that other couriers collected $125,000 from that victim.
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 conspiracy and wire fraud charges each are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the O’Fallon (Missouri) Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Men Sentenced for the Armed Robbery of Dollar StoresRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men who robbed two dollar stores at gunpoint have both been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced Deon Walker, 27, to 11 years and nine months in prison. Samuel Nance, 33, of Black Jack, Missouri, was sentenced in July to 14 years in prison. Both men pleaded guilty to three felonies: two counts of robbery and one count of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
On Oct. 9, 2022, just after 6 p.m., Walker and Nance robbed a dollar store in Berkeley, Missouri. Both men entered the store wearing clothing with hoods and black ski masks. When an employee asked them to remove their hoods, Walker pointed a black handgun at the employees and customers, demanded money and ordered everyone to get on the floor. One customer was able to escape out of the rear of the store with two children. An employee opened one cash register, which Nance emptied. Walker grabbed a customer and escorted her to the front of the store at gunpoint before forcing her to the floor. He and Nance then took money from another cash register and then stole about 18 packs of Newport cigarettes along with about $481 in cash.
About 90 minutes later, the two men robbed a dollar store in Ferguson, Missouri. Walker and Nance walked behind the checkout counter and Walker pointed a handgun at a cashier before demanding money. Nance jumped over the checkout counter to stop a customer who was trying to leave the store. Walker then took the entire cash drawer and both Nance and Walker ran out of the store. Walker and Nance stole about $486.
The FBI and the Berkeley Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.
Jefferson County Man Admits Possessing Pipe BombRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing a pipe bomb.
Robert Hiler, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
Hiler admitted that on Sept. 11, 2023, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies were seeking another man who had several active felony warrants. They had a court-approved search warrant for Hiler’s house, and arrested their target in the woods behind the home. Deputies then obtained Hiler’s consent to search the home and found a pipe bomb on a grey bucket in a room adjacent to Hiler’s garage. Hiler admitted building the bomb and said he had planned to ignite it with a car battery.
Hiler is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Mohsen Pasha are prosecuting the case.
Franklin County Woman Accused of Disability FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Franklin County, Missouri has been indicted and accused of committing $174,000 in disability fraud over more than 14 years.
Starr Lumos, also known as Starr Rodrigue, 54, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 16 with one count of theft of government money and one count of concealing information from the Social Security Administration, namely her right to a benefit payment.
She turned herself in Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The indictment says that from Oct. 1, 2009, to March 1, 2024, Lumos concealed and failed to disclose her full physical abilities and ownership, work and income at multiple businesses, reaping $174,391 in disability payments.
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 theft of government money charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the concealment charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Both also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.
Former Employee Admits Smuggling Drugs into Missouri PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former employee of a Missouri state prison on Wednesday admitted smuggling drugs and knives into prison.
Steven M. Reminger, 53, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis 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.
Reminger was an electronics technician at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri at the time of his crimes. After a number of inmate drug overdoses, inmates told officials that Reminger was smuggling drugs into the prison. 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.
A U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspector learned that Reminger had obtained the Post Office box on Nov. 8, 2021, and received about 12 packages between Nov. 13, 2021, and May 24, 2022. After Reminger picked up the final parcel on May 25, 2022, Postal Inspectors took him to a police station and interviewed him. They also opened the package, discovering $4,000 in cash as well as fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, K2, THC edibles, marijuana, knives and cell phones that were contained in four vacuum-sealed packages. Reminger said the $4,000 was his pay for bringing the packages into the prison. He acknowledged that it was “possible” the packages he brought in contained something that contributed to the inmate overdoses, but said “ignorance is bliss” and added that he never opened the packages within the parcels or asked what was inside of them. Reminger admitted being “deliberately ignorant” to the contents of the packages.
Reminger said he made no more than $50,000 from the smuggling scheme. He turned over $15,000 in cash that he had at home to investigators. He used some of the rest of the money to buy a dune buggy and two trailers.Reminger is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24. Each charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.
The Missouri Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Rapper Admits Possessing Fentanyl, GunRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri rapper on Tuesday pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges.
Antonio Harris, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession a firearm as a convicted felon. Harris, who performs as “LA4ss,” admitted being caught by police with fentanyl and a firearm.
On Feb. 16, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers tried to make a traffic stop on North Broadway in the Baden neighborhood, but Harris sped off in a Toyota Corolla. Officers used spike strips, but Harris continued at a high rate of speed north on Riverview Drive. He passed vehicles on the shoulder and swerved into oncoming traffic before colliding with a retaining wall while attempting to turn into Spring Garden Drive.
Harris got out and ran, leaving a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in the car, he admitted as part of his plea agreement. While running, he dropped a bag containing 394 capsules of fentanyl and plastic baggies containing more fentanyl, for a total weight of nearly 40 grams of the drug. Harris is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Harris is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by at least five years in prison. The felon in possession charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting 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 Man Admits Bank Robbery and Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man admitted robbing a St. Louis bank in 2024 and trying to rob the same bank three months later.
Isaac Perry, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery. He admitted entering a bank on Loughborough Avenue in south St. Louis on June 25, 2024, and handing a note to a bank employee. The note read, “I nee[d] you to hand over 10,000 in cash if not it aint gone end good please.” Perry drew a red heart around the word “please.” He left the bank with about $340.
On Oct. 3, 2024, Perry returned, and again handed a note to a bank employee. The note said, “This is a stick up I need you to give me 6,000 dollars in all hundreds in make it quick.” The note had another heart. The bank employee told Perry that she had activated an alarm and police were on the way. Perry fled the bank but was identified in photos of the robbery that were released to the public.
Perry is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole Frankenberg is prosecuting 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.
Missouri Man Sentenced 21 Years in Prison for Recording Minor Victim in BathroomRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a man whose trial for recording a girl in the bathroom revealed allegations that he had sexually abused at least three other children to 21 years in prison.
Rayford Evans, 52, of Doniphan, in Ripley County, was convicted of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor after a one-day bench trial in January. Evidence and testimony showed that Evans used his cell phone to record a 15-year-old girl while she was bathing and using the bathroom by holding it up to a window above the bathroom door. The victim saw the phone and told a friend, the friend’s father and then her own father, who contacted the Doniphan City Police Department. An officer found three videos of the girl that Evans tried to delete.
During Evans trial, another victim testified about her sexual abuse at the hands of Evans, and there was testimony that Evans had recorded videos of a different girl. Three others testified at Evans’ sentencing hearing Tuesday about his sexual abuse of them.
“Evans has sexually exploited children for decades,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter wrote in a sentencing memo, and “used bribery in the form of electronics, toys, and candy to violate the trust of innocent children to sexually abuse them.”
One victim described Evans in a letter as a predator who has “hunted children, for his depraved sexual appetite, for at least 26 years.”
Evans has disputed the allegations involving other victims.
The FBI and the Doniphan City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter 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.
Louisiana Bounty Hunter Sentenced for Missouri KidnappingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a bounty hunter from Louisiana to the three years he’s spent behind bars for removing a woman from a St. Peters, Missouri home and taking her across state lines against her will.
Wayne D. Lozier Jr., 46, of the New Orleans area, has been in custody since March 31, 2022.
Lozier was originally convicted by a jury in 2023 of one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Lozier’s conviction was overturned by the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals because of an issue with a jury instruction. Lozier then pleaded guilty in March, prior to a re-trial, to the same charges. He admitted entering a private residence without first notifying local law enforcement, transporting the victim without her consent and refusing the instructions of a St. Peters Police Department officer to either return the victim or transport her to the nearest law enforcement agency. He also admitted that neither he nor his partner, Jody L. Sullivan, were licensed by the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance to operate as surety recovery agents within Missouri.
Lozier and Sullivan had driven from Louisiana to where the victim was staying at the home of a friend in St. Peters, Missouri. They were attempting to return with the victim to St. Tammany Parish, where she had an arrest warrant for four misdemeanor offenses.
On May 9, 2019, Lozier handcuffed the victim and he and Sullivan took her away in their SUV. The homeowner contacted police. St. Peters Police Officer Jeffrey Atkins told Lozier on the phone that he was breaking the law and needed to return the victim, but Lozier refused to do so.
When the victim sought help from clerks at a gas station in Sullivan, Missouri, Lozier shocked the victim multiple times with a Taser and pulled her hair. He and Sullivan then dragged the victim out of the store by the chain that connected her handcuffs and leg. Lozier continued to refuse Officer Atkins’ instructions to return the victim to Missouri. But he did not bring her to Louisiana, instead dropping her off at a detention facility in Mississippi.
Sullivan, 57, of the New Orleans area, pleaded guilty Sept. 18, 2023, to the conspiracy and kidnapping charges and admitted unlawfully seizing the woman and transporting her across state lines. She was sentenced to five years of probation.
The FBI and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Donald Boyce prosecuted the case.
Former School Bus Driver Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former school bus driver who recorded his sexual abuse of two young children to 30 years in prison.
Robert W. Stillwell, 67, of St. Peters, Missouri, sexually abused one girl, born in 2016, and another, born in 2022, when they were both asleep and awake. He abused the older victim for at least two years, coercing her into complying with his demands by promising toys and money as well as by threatening her. She said Stillwell would become angry and scream when she did not cooperate. He also modified his voice to resemble that of two elementary school-aged girls and recorded messages to the older victim in which the “girls” encourage her to comply with his demands.
The parents of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 after their daughter said Stillwell was drinking her urine, claiming it was medicinal. Investigators then found recordings of his abuse of the victims.During the hearing, Judge Autrey called the case one of the “most vile and most despicable” that he has ever seen.
Stillwell pleaded guilty in January to two counts of production of child pornography.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
St. Louis County Tax Preparer Admits Falsifying Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County tax preparer on Thursday admitted falsifying 42 federal income tax returns for clients.
Elisa Y. Brown, 60, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. She admitted preparing false tax returns from 2016-2020. Brown prepared the returns with commercial tax preparation software from her home in exchange for between $150 and $250 per return. She did not have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), which is issued by the IRS and required on returns prepared for compensation. Brown digitally signed each tax return in the name of the taxpayer, making it appear to the IRS that the taxpayer had prepared the return. Brown claimed false medical and dental expenses and cash donations as deductibles and included false schedule C forms reflecting tens of thousands of dollars of false business expenses.
Brown admitted filing false tax returns for 11 clients from 2016-2020, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $171,866. During the same time, she prepared and submitted a total of 560 tax returns, many of which contained similar false deductible expenses.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced July 22. Each charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.
Chinese National Sentenced for Taking $95,000 from Elder Fraud VictimRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man from China who took $95,000 in cash from a 79-year-old Missouri fraud victim to 21 months in prison.
Judge Ross also ordered Dongyi Guo, 28, to repay the money.
Guo was part of a conspiracy that targeted elderly victims. Members of the conspiracy began contacting the victim in March of 2024. In phone calls and electronic messages, they claimed to represent her financial institutions and/or the Social Security Office and falsely claimed that her financial accounts had been compromised. They told her that she needed to pay to prevent her money from being stolen, and that a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) employee would pick up the money.
Guo flew from New York City to Chicago and then rented a car to drive to the woman’s home. On March 4, 2024, he picked up $40,000 in cash. He took another $35,000 in cash the next day, and $20,000 on March 6. Guo’s co-conspirators continued to pressure the victim into providing more money. Guo was arrested on March 7 while trying to pick up $15,000 more.
In a letter to the court, a daughter of the victim said her mother died seven months after Guo took her money, and that the crime “unquestionably contributed” to her death. After clicking on a link that said, “You’ve been hacked. Call (this number) for assistance,” her mother was tricked and shamed into withdrawing cash and placing it in shoeboxes that she them turned over to Guo. The scammers claimed Guo would “keep her money secure while this matter was resolved.” She responded by to the crime by refusing medication, food and exercise and declining to attend church. She was left “mentally and physically broken, alone, and wanting to die.”
Guo pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting and provide resources and referrals. Reporting frauds can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov for consumer complaints.
St. Louis Man Who Assaulted Woman Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A felon caught in the act of assaulting a woman by St. Louis police pleaded guilty to a gun charge Wednesday.
Lee M. Shields, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Sept. 17, 2023, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers were on patrol when they saw him striking a woman over the head. She fell to the ground and was bleeding heavily from her mouth and nose. Shields got into a Jeep before being approached by officers, who found the magazine for a pistol in his pocket and a Glock 23 handgun in the Jeep. The victim told police that she didn’t know if Shields hit her with his fist or an object. One of the officers saw Shields holding an object in the hand he used to strike the victim. The 6-year-old son of Shields and the victim said Shields hit his mother with the gun.
Shields is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Shields’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 50 months in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting 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.
Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison on Methamphetamine Distribution ChargeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a man who was caught in a stolen car with methamphetamine and marijuana to 87 months in prison.
On August 17, 2024, Darryl Duane Jackson, now 23, of Cairo, Illinois, was stopped by a Charleston Police Department officer on Interstate 57 in Mississippi County, Missouri. The vehicle’s license plate matched that of a stolen vehicle. Jackson, the driver and sole occupant, had $1,670 in cash. He also had 78 grams of marijuana and 752 grams of meth, or more than 1.6 pounds, in a backpack.
Jackson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in January to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This is his third felony conviction involving drug sale offenses.
The Charleston Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
Four St. Louis Area Residents Admit Committing Bank Fraud with Checks Stolen from the MailRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Four people, including a former U.S. Postal Service employee, have pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted to involvement in a conspiracy that stole checks from the mail to commit bank fraud.
Johnathan Barnett, 29, of University City, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 80 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp, who also ordered him to pay restitution of $44,135.
Barnett 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. He admitted participating in a conspiracy from January of 2022 to September of 2023 to steal checks from the mail and alter the checks to defraud banks.
Barnett bought a key to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes from a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Wynter Hinton, and then he and others, including Ryan McKinney and Jayden Burklow, used that key to open collections boxes in St. Louis County and steal mail. Hinton also stole checks from the mail while on her postal route.
Barnett, Burklow and McKinney altered personal and business checks they found in the mail to create counterfeit checks. They recruited others to allow their bank accounts to be used to deposit the fraudulent checks. The conspirators then withdrew the money before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent. Barnett, Burklow and McKinney admitted trying to commit at least $800,000 worth of fraud this way.
On Sept. 15, 2023, when investigators were conducting a court-approved search of Barnett’s home, he tried to flee through a window with an AR-15-style rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 76 rounds. Four other firearms were found in his home, as well as check-making equipment. Barnett was convicted of a 2014 drug charge and charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in 2020.
Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, and McKinney, 24, of St. Louis, both pleaded guilty Wednesday. Hinton pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a mail key and McKinney pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. They are scheduled to be sentenced in July.
Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois, pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
“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.”
"This sentencing and guilty pleas represent the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with 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 USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
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.
Florissant Sex Offender Admits New Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Florissant, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material.
Christopher A. Wheetley, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted that 470 images and one video containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were found on his computer, as well as internet searches consistent with an interest in CSAM. The computer also contained 1,081 images and four videos in which children appeared to be depicted but their ages could not be determined.
The CSAM was found on the computer after a St. Louis County Police Department detective conducting an online “peer-to-peer” investigation discovered CSAM on Sept. 12, 2023, that was linked to an IP address that traced back to Wheetley’s home. That home was the subject of an earlier investigation after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Nov. 10, 2020, received a cyber-tip that 40 files containing CSAM had been uploaded to Kik in October from an IP address matching Wheetley.
The day before the tip was received, Wheetley pleaded no contest to one count of possession of child pornography in California Superior Court in Pomona. When detectives arrived at his Florissant address to investigate the tip, he was in California to complete his term of probation for the child pornography conviction.
Because Wheetley was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography, he faces at least 15 years in prison for the crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Wheetley’s lawyer will recommend 15 years at the time of his sentencing, which is set for July 17.
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.
Registered Sex Offender Admits Possessing Gun, Approaching ChildrenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender caught with a pistol after a road rage shooting pleaded guilty to a firearm charge Tuesday.
Leroy Richard Walker Jr., 54, also admitted approaching and speaking with two children who were waiting for the school bus on Nov. 28, 2023, in Franklin County. The children told a parent, who called police. As a registered sex offender, Walker knew he was not allowed to be near a school bus stop.
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 admitted as part of his plea agreement that knew he was not allowed to be near a school.
The firearm incident occurred on Nov. 25, 2022, when a driver passed Walker and then pulled in front of him. Walker pulled in front of the other vehicle, began hitting his brakes and then slowed down, pulled alongside the other driver and waved a Taurus pistol. Walker pulled to the road’s shoulder and the victim drove past as Walker fired a shot from the pistol. Walker was then pulled over by Pacific Police Department officers and admitted being both a felon and a registered sex offender and knowing that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Walker has prior felony convictions for first-degree assault, attempted forcible rape, armed criminal action, burglary, tampering, stealing a motor vehicle and escape.
Walker, of Franklin County, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
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 is prosecuting the case.
Man Who Staged Auto Accidents and Committed Insurance Fraud Sentenced to 18 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a man who defrauded insurance companies by staging vehicle accidents and injuries to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay $107,951 in restitution.
From September 2021 to January 2023, Adrian Peebles staged auto accidents, usually at night and in remote areas to minimize his chances of getting caught. Peebles nearly always claimed to have been injured and went to the emergency room complaining of “pain that required expensive tests that never identified any particular injury,” according to his plea agreement. Peebles insisted that the resulting payments from the vehicle insurance companies be made to him rather than the hospital and then did not pay his medical bills. His scheme cost two insurance companies $107,951.
Peebles, now 32, pleaded guilty in January to one count of mail fraud.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.
Missouri Gang Member Indicted for Murder in Aid of Racketeering and Other Crimes Including Three MurdersRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri returned an indictment on Wednesday charging Travis Santel Jones, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, RICO conspiracy, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and causing death with a firearm, all related to Jones’s alleged part in the Cochran Crips, a violent street gang based in St. Louis. Two victims were gunned down in the street and one victim was killed at his own home.
“There is no place in our communities for groups that terrorize their neighbors,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment alleges violent criminal acts and the tragic loss of three lives, all at the hands of a dangerous gang member. The Department of Justice’s Criminal Division will continue to pursue justice for these victims and for the people of St. Louis.”
“The alleged activity here is exactly the type of case that the Violent Crime Initiative was designed to tackle — complex criminal conspiracies involving drugs and years of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “There are severe federal consequences for anyone who is tempted to kill and maim to peddle poison.”
“For years, FBI St. Louis has been investigating violent crimes and drug trafficking by Cochran Crips gang members. In 2020, our office surged resources to assist the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department after two innocent Saint Louis University students were gunned down simply because their vehicle was misidentified by the gang,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not stop until we bring all those involved in the murders to justice.”
“Violence has no place in our community, and this indictment sends a clear message: we will always be a voice for victims, and we will not stop pursuing justice until there is accountability,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Tracy. “I am proud of the dedication by our investigators on this case, and we will continue to work with our federal law enforcement partners to keep our neighborhoods safe and take dangerous criminals off our streets.”
According to court documents, Jones conspired with other Cochran Crips members to commit multiple acts of murder and multiple drug trafficking offenses. Specifically, it is alleged in July 2020, Jones and other members were driving the streets of St. Louis, armed with multiple firearms, looking for “get backs” (retaliation) against a rival gang. While searching for rival gang members, Jones and others allegedly killed two innocent people whom they mistakenly believed to be rivals. After allegedly shooting and killing the victims, Jones and other Cochran Crips allegedly sped away, fleeing the scene and endangering other motorists on the road. Just a day after the murders, it is alleged that Cochran Crips gang members glorified the murders in a rap song.
In 2022, Jones allegedly murdered another Cochran Crips member when the gang believed that the victim had disrespected a fellow gang member. The gang members are alleged to have obtained a car, armed themselves with multiple firearms, drove to the victim’s home, and murdered him.
If convicted of murder in aid of racketeering, Jones faces a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty. All other charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Jared A. Hernandez and Matthew Mattis of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj for the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in St. Louis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Missouri and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in St. Louis.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.