Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – Three St. Charles County, Missouri residents have been sentenced for their roles in the forced labor of an Indian national.

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced Venkatesh Sattaru, 38, to 50 months in prison. Judge Ross ordered that sentence to run concurrently with a 5-year sentence for second-degree domestic assault in St. Charles County Circuit Court. Sattaru has also paid a forfeiture money judgment of $74,634 to the Department of Homeland Security, restitution of $83,776 to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and restitution of an agreed upon sum to his victim.

Sattaru pleaded guilty in April to one count of confiscating or concealing immigration paperwork while obtaining the labor or services of a person by means of serious harm or threats of serious harm and one count of theft of government funds. The victim is Sattaru’s cousin, an Indian national who arrived in St. Louis on Dec. 16, 2022. The victim lived in Sattaru’s O’Fallon home and was required to perform household chores, run errands and work in a company owned by Sattaru, the plea agreement says. In February 2023, Sattaru moved the victim into a home that was being renovated for eventual rental on Daniel Drive in O’Fallon. Around September 2023, Sattaru moved the victim into a different home being renovated on Highway D.

When the victim failed to perform his duties, he was punished with the confiscation of his immigration paperwork as well as sleep deprivation, physical abuse and restricted access to the bathroom, bathing and food. Sometimes Sattaru punished the victim himself. At other times, Sravan Penumetcha and Nikhil Penmasta punished the victim, either at Sattaru's request or on their own initiative, Sattaru’s plea agreement says. The physical abuse included the use of dangerous weapons and resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim.

During some of this time, Sattaru, a U.S. Army veteran, was also exaggerating his VA disability to increase his compensation under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, also known as the Caregiver Support Program. The PCAFC provides monthly financial compensation to caregivers, who are typically relatives, to care for qualified veterans or service members. Sattaru fraudulently caused his caregiver to receive $83,776 in extra compensation from the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Penmatsa, 30, of Defiance, pleaded guilty on April 2 to one count of knowingly confiscating or concealing immigration paperwork. He is Sattaru’s brother-in-law. He was sentenced in August to 37 months in prison, consecutive to the 3-year sentence he received in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

Penumetcha, 26, pleaded guilty on March 13 to the same charge and was sentenced in June to 30 months in prison.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the St. Charles County Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon on Wednesday admitted possessing about 25 kilograms of meth and robbing two St. Louis County banks.

Otis Frazier, 37, pleaded guilty in two separate cases: to one count of bank robbery in one case and in the other to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On Feb. 6, 2025, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Anti-Crime Task Force detective targeting stolen vehicles spotted a white Genesis GV70 that appeared to have been stolen. The detective followed the Genesis, but stopped when the driver began to drive erratically. The next day, the detective located the vehicle again and confirmed the license plate was a stolen dealer plate. When Frazier parked at a store on Jennings Station Road, officers detained him after a brief struggle and found two handguns, about 4.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and about 14.31 grams of fentanyl in the vehicle.

In an interview with Drug Enforcement Administration agents the next day, Frazier said he was a large-scale drug distributor and had more meth and two guns at a friend’s house. There the DEA found the guns and a little over 20 kilograms of meth.

Frazier was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 12 and a warrant for his arrest was issued.

On July 31, 2025, Frazier robbed a bank on North Highway 67 in St. Louis County. Frazier said something along the lines of, “It’s happening,” while gripping the butt of what appeared to be a handgun in his pocket. He forced two employees into the back of the bank and demanded entry to the vault. Frazier threatened employees, telling them if the police arrived, everyone would die, his plea says. After stealing cash, Frazier fled on a bicycle, discarding the clothing he was wearing in a nearby dumpster.

On Sept. 24, 2025, Frazier entered a bank on Dunn Road in St. Louis County and said, “You know what this is, right,” while keeping his hand in his pocket. When bank employees told Frazier the vault was locked, a frustrated Frazier made threats before accepting cash from a teller’s cash drawer. He fled the scene on a motorized scooter.
Frazier was arrested and a court-approved search of Frazier’s girlfriend’s home found a 9mm pistol gun with his DNA on it.

Frazier is scheduled to be sentenced on the bank robbery charge on January 7. Bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He will also be ordered to repay the money. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Frazier’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a sentence of 15 years for the drug case, which is set to be sentenced on January 13.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nichole Frankenberg and Dane Rennier are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Lincoln County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted producing and receiving child sexual abuse material.

The investigation of Michael Anthony Lynch, now 24, began with a CyberTipline Report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that was triggered when three files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were detected on one of Lynch’s online accounts. A court-approved search of the account uncovered more CSAM, and a search of his home uncovered more CSAM and evidence that he had produced CSAM involving one underage girl.

Lynch pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Lynch’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a sentence of 18 years in prison.

The St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – Three men who have been accused of involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in Dent County, Missouri were arrested Monday.

William Wind, 59, Thomas Wind, 60, and David Gray, 58, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on September 16 with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The indictment alleges the drug conspiracy lasted from Jan. 1, 2025, to at least February 2026. Each man also faces one count of possession with the intent to distribute meth and Thomas Wind faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of three pistols and five rifles seized during the investigation.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI; the Rolla Area Drug Enforcement Task Force (RADE), which is comprised of officers from the Rolla Police Department, the Dent County Sheriff’s Office and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office; the Salem Police Department; the Licking Police Department; the Texas County Sheriff's Department and Missouri’s Operation Relentless Pursuit, a coordinated, intelligence-led law enforcement initiative to locate and apprehend fugitives, assisted with the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha is prosecuting the case.

This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF St. Louis comprises agents and officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Untied States Marshal Service (USMS); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

ST. LOUIS – A felon who was wounded while shooting a locksmith in St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.

Donnel Trotter, 51, pleaded guilty in July to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He admitted that on Nov. 12, 2024, a locksmith had been dispatched to help unlock Trotter’s truck in an alley behind the 4700 block of Nebraska. Trotter and the locksmith argued over payment, and Trotter charged towards the locksmith while reaching for his gun. The locksmith pulled his own gun and fired at Trotter. Trotter returned fire, continuing to shoot as the locksmith retreated. Both men were wounded.

The locksmith fled and called police. Officers found Trotter at a hospital seeking medical care. They also found two 9mm casings that matched the locksmith’s firearm and 12 spent .40 caliber shell casings.

Trotter is convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms or ammunition. He also has a criminal history dating back to 1993 and three prior federal convictions for serious drug offenses, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke says. As an armed career criminal who used the ammunition in connection with a crime of violence, he faced enhanced penalties.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Pine Lawn, Missouri on Friday admitted shooting two men during a fentanyl deal gone wrong.

Terrance McKinnies, 39, of Pine Lawn, pleaded guilty to one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. As part of his plea, he admitted directing a group of people to the area of Cass Avenue and Collins Avenue in St. Louis on Dec. 12, 2024, to sell them fentanyl. McKinnies had sold fentanyl to the same group once already that day and once a day or two earlier. McKinnies arrived at the meeting first. When the buyers arrived, one got into the passenger seat of McKinnies’ car, a Chevrolet Cavalier. An armed man walked up, opened the passenger door and began to struggle with the buyer. The buyer pushed his assailant to the ground and began to run away. Both the assailant and McKinnies shot at the buyer. McKinnies continued to shoot after the group drove away. The buyer and one of the other passengers in that car were shot in the back and injured. In a later interview with law enforcement, McKinnies said he fired shots because the drug deal “went bad.”

McKinnies is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and McKinnies’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 10 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – Three men who were involved in a conspiracy to steal checks from the mail and deposit them into fraudulently-opened bank accounts were sentenced to prison Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine sentenced Isaiah W. Douglas, 25, of Champaign, Ill. to 39 months in prison, Luis A. Franco-Gonzalez, 26, of Rantoul, Ill., to 34 months in prison and Isaiah B. Handford, 28, to 33 months.

Douglas and others stole checks, or caused them to be stolen, from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in and around St. Louis. Handford and Franco-Gonzalez then posed as representatives of the victim businesses and opened or tried to open bank accounts with fraudulent documents supplied by Douglas.

On June 12, 2023, Handford entered a St. Louis bank and applied to open a business account by falsely claiming that he was an owner and registered agent of one of the victim businesses. Suspicious bank officials refused to open the account. That same day, Franco-Gonzalez was successful in opening an account at a different bank in Chesterfield and depositing a $312,677 check.

The following day, Franco-Gonzalez unsuccessfully tried to open an account at a bank in Creve Coeur before fleeing the bank on foot. Police arrested Handford in a getaway car close to the bank and then found and arrested Franco-Gonzalez in a Ford Explorer in the parking lot of a nearby hotel. The Explorer contained a handgun and fraudulent paperwork in the name of one of the victims. Officers found Douglas at the hotel, carrying a backpack and a duffel bag that contained more fraudulent paperwork, a handgun and 53 loose checks, money orders, and envelopes that had been stolen from collection boxes. In hotel rooms used by the conspirators, police found more stolen mail and an additional stolen check.

Douglas and his co-defendants admitted that they intended to cause a loss of at least $581,123, based on the value of stolen checks deposited into unauthorized business accounts and the stolen checks recovered by police. They ultimately failed to make any money from the scheme, however.

The case is the latest prosecution of those responsible for mail theft and whose conduct takes advantage of the public's reliance on a vital government service, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote in sentencing memo.

“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who engage in mail theft will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge, Nicholas Bucciarelli, who leads the Chicago Division, which includes the St. Louis Domicile Office. “The Postal 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.”

Douglas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail matter. Franco-Gonzalez and Handford pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a financial institution.

The Creve Coeur Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – An illegal immigrant pleaded guilty Thursday and admitted involvement in a conspiracy that stole or tried to steal $157,229 from a national retailer via sleight-of-hand fraud.

Bazili Anghel Anghel, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of illegal reentry and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Anghel admitted that he and his co-conspirators committed fraud on at least 90 occasions in stores in Missouri and 19 other states. Anghel and the others would bring electronic items to cashiers and then count out the purchase price in cash into piles. They would then gather the cash into one pile and use that opportunity to slip some bills from the bottom of the stack into a pocket or purse before handing the pile of cash to the cashier. Anghel and the others would then go to a different store and return the electronic items for a full refund despite not paying the full purchase price.

Anghel is a citizen of Romania and national of Spain. He unlawfully entered the U.S. prior to Aug. 29, 2018. He was removed to Romania on Apr. 12, 2019, and illegally re-entered the country sometime prior to May 7, 2022, when the conspiracy began.

Anghel, who has also used the names Anghel Bazili, Edward Tansae and Bazili Angher, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2027. The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine. The illegal reentry charge is punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karin Schute is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – An illegal alien who distributed cocaine in St. Louis for a Mexican cartel was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.

Jose Luis Mata-Cedillo, 40, pleaded guilty in June to four felony counts: conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, illegal reentry after deportation as an aggravated felon and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea agreement, Mata-Cedillo admitted working for a large-scale, multi-country drug trafficking organization as a distributor in St. Louis. After a courier was intercepted in Junction City, Kansas with 27 kilograms of cocaine, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations began learning about Mata-Cedillo’s drug activities in St. Louis. On April 26, 2025, Mata-Cedillo provided a confidential informant with 5 kilos of cocaine. Later that night, investigators intercepted a courier who had been paid by Mata-Cedillo, seizing $54,600 in cash and about 10 kilos of cocaine. Three days later, he paid another courier, who was then stopped with $66,680, his plea says. In mid-May, agents learned that Mata-Cedillo was trying to order 50 kilos of methamphetamine from Mexico. Mata-Cedillo was arrested at the scheduled delivery point with a loaded 9mm Glock handgun.

Mata-Cedillo was involved in the receipt of at least 37 kilograms of cocaine and 50 kilograms of methamphetamine, a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider says. He was financially irresponsible and owed the Mexican cartel large sums of cash. He earned the nickname “El Mentiroso,” or “The Liar” because he so often lied about having the cartel’s money, the memo says, and had a cartel babysitter live with and monitor him for weeks during the investigation.

Mata-Cedillo was caught at the border in El Paso in 2008 and removed to Mexico. He entered the country again and was deported in 2020 after being released from a 78-month prison sentence he received in the West District of Washington after being convicted of another drug conspiracy charge. He was living in St. Louis under someone else’s name at the time of his arrest.

Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Junction City (Kansas) Police Department, the Illinois State Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine on Wednesday sentenced a former tax preparer to 56 months in prison for preparing false tax returns and ordered her to repay $270,793.

Latasha L. Frison, 39, owned a tax preparation business in downtown St. Louis under various names including Taxed Rite. Evidence and testimony at her trial, which concluded July 1 with guilty verdicts on 16 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent tax returns, showed that Frison falsified those tax returns in multiple ways. She made up businesses out of thin air and claimed tens of thousands of dollars in fake business expenses on Schedule C forms, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote in a sentencing memo. She “exploited a COVID-19 tax credit intended to provide tax relief to those who were sick or caring for loved ones sick during the pandemic.” She “fabricated ludicrous amounts of creditable gas purchases by her clients—in one instance, claiming that a full-time liquor store cashier purchased 40,000 gallons of fuel in a single year,” the memo says.

The trial showed that Frison falsified information on 16 tax returns for six taxpayers for tax years between 2020 and 2023, triggering hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds to which they were not entitled. Eight additional returns were identified during the criminal investigation that contained similar falsehoods, and 37 more were civilly audited by the IRS and found to contain false information, according to court filings and statements in court Wednesday.

Clow told Judge Divine that “significant statistical aberrations” in Schedule C and tax credits that were similar to those that triggered the initial investigation surfaced in returns dating back to when Frison first opened her tax business in late 2017. Returns prepared by Frison included an unusually high percentage of credits as compared to state and national averages, Clow said.

Frison charged some of her clients exorbitant fees, the sentencing memo says. Frison told one client who owed the IRS over $20,000 that it would cost $700 to prepare her taxes, then charged $5,000 after falsifying the return and obtaining a tax refund of $22,000. In a four-year period, she received at least $240,000 in fees. She spent over $145,000 at St. Louis-area casinos, the memo says. At trial, Frison lied under oath when she blamed clients for the false information in the returns, the memo says.

“Stopping fraud against taxpayer funds and keeping the tax system fair are top priorities for IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI),” said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge William Steenson.  “Latasha Frison operated a tax preparation business that profited by filing falsified information on her clients’ tax returns and caused thousands of dollars in refunds the clients were not entitled to. The tax loss to the Treasury and the tax nightmare created for the clients demands accountability. Through the partnership of IRS-CI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, taxpayers now have justice.”

Frison lived in Cahokia at the time of her crimes and now lives in Texas.

The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigation.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A Cape Girardeau County, Missouri man who placed a hidden camera in a residential bathroom was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison.

Ross Andrew Schaefer, 50, will be on supervised release for 20 years after his release from prison. Schaefer pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of production or attempted production of child pornography. He admitted placing the camera in the bathroom beginning at least in 2022, when his victim was 12 years old. Investigators discovered videos on Schaefer’s phone and a thumb drive.

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office, the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services and the FBI 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.

ST. LOUIS – A man who was twice involved with trying to transport kilograms of methamphetamine to St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 200 months in prison.

Courtney D. McDonald, 30, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted paying an undercover agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations $1,005 on Jan. 24, 2025, for the delivery of a 2006 Toyota Highlander that had once been packed with 55.18 kilograms of meth. The New Mexico State Police had intercepted the Highlander two days earlier and removed the meth.

On May 21, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested McDonald in Kansas City, Missouri after he got off a train. A drug-sniffing K-9 alerted to McDonald’s suitcase, which contained about 18 kilos of meth. McDonald’s backpack contained 3.27 grams of cocaine and $4,873 in cash.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Mexico State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have been accused of recruiting homeless persons to cash checks at St. Louis-area financial institutions that had been stolen from the mail.

Eight people have been indicted in connection with the investigation and accused of depositing U.S. Treasury checks with a total value of $3.4 million and then withdrawing or attempting to withdraw the money. Samuel Stewart, 27, of St. Louis, was indicted May 6 on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of bank fraud, ten counts of possession of stolen mail, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and nine counts of forging endorsement on Treasury checks. Royce Finger, 22, of Maryland Heights, faces one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, six counts of bank fraud, ten counts of possession of stolen mail, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and nine counts of forging endorsement on Treasury checks.

The final defendant to be arrested, David Sims, appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday for a detention hearing.

The indictment says that from as early as November 2024 through January 2026, Stewart and Finger received Treasury checks that had been stolen in Florida, Minnesota, California and Tennessee. They then created fraudulent driver’s licenses, U.S. passports and other identification documents so the checks could be cashed, the indictment says. The pair provided housing and clothing to their co-conspirators, the indictment says. They took them to the banks after coaching them so they could answer questions from bank staff about why the checks bore addresses in other states, the indictment says. The defendants told bank employees that they had recently moved to the St. Louis and provided fake utility bills and identification to bolster the lies, the indictment says.

Sims, 68, Jose Marti, 37, and Christopher Brown, 50, face various counts of all five charges. Cynthia Conner, 51, Ryan Ewald, 47, and Lisa Taca, 48, also face various counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail and aggravated identity theft. The indictment says they deposited the checks and withdrew the money.

In one example provided in the indictment, Stewart and Finger gave Sims a fake ID that he used to deposit a stolen $937,809 Treasury check. The defendants then caused the withdrawal of $597,890. On July 21, 2025, Stewart and Finger gave Sims a fake passport and a stolen $669,185 Treasury check, the indictment says. Sims later returned to the bank and withdrew $6,500.

The conspiracy and bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The forging charge is punishable by up to 10 years and the same fine. Possession of stolen mail carries a penalty of up to five years and/or a $250,000 fine and aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence.

All defendants have appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. 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.

IRS Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two Chinese nationals turned themselves in Thursday on charges that accuse one of a naturalization crime and both of a firearm crime.

Biqi “Ashley” Huang, 25, and Wentian Du, 35, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on September 9. Huang now faces one count of making a false statement in a naturalization proceeding and one count of fraudulent acquisition of a firearm. Du faces one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm.

Both appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.

The indictment says Huang made a false statement under oath in a matter relating to naturalization between August 1, 2025, and July 27, 2026. It also says she made a false statement to a firearm dealer on May 28, 2026, in connection with the purchase of a firearm. Du illegally possessed a firearm between June 1 and August 26 of 2026, the indictment says.

Motions seeking to detain both in jail until trial say Huang entered the U.S. on a student visa on July 13, 2023, and attended graduate school in St. Louis. She married on May 22, 2024, and received her Legal Permanent Resident status after misrepresenting the status of her marriage in an Oct. 14, 2025 interview and on her LPR application, her motion says. Du was issued a B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa in September 2022 and entered the U.S. on Oct. 2, 2022. About a year later, he applied for asylum, his motion says.

In June, Huang moved to New York and met Du, her motion says. She subsequently applied to join the U.S. Air Force, telling a recruiter that she wanted to join to get her citizenship as soon as possible, then divorce and marry Du, the motion says. During the investigation, FBI agents realized that Du tried to purchase a firearm on Oct. 18, 2025, the motions say. The purchase was denied and Du was notified why. He rented a firearm at least 13 times and his credit card was used on May 29, 2026, to buy a 9mm pistol, the motion says. Huang filled out a form falsely stating that she was the actual buyer, the motions say.

Making a false statement in a naturalization proceeding is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. The firearm charges against Du and Huang are punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI investigated the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Berkeley, Missouri on Tuesday admitted being caught with two guns in a stolen car after a shootout and police chase last year.

Ja’Lon Pittman, 22, of Berkeley, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with a stolen AK-style pistol and a Glock pistol on July 28, 2025. Earlier that day, a man told the Columbia, Missouri police that Pittman had taken his Chrysler 300 without his permission, and possibly his watch and gun. The victim told officers that he located Pittman and during a confrontation, the two exchanged gunfire. Police notified the Missouri State Highway Patrol that Pittman may be heading to the St. Louis area, and troopers spotted him and tried to stop him on Interstate 70. Pittman sped away, driving in excess of 120 m.p.h. and weaving in and out of traffic before crashing near the Blanchette Bridge. Pittman ran away but was found hiding under a van in a nearby parking lot. Investigators found the victim’s Romarm Cugir Micro Draco pistol in the car and a Glock in a bag that Pittman discarded. Pittman was wearing the stolen watch.

The Columbia Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A man who possessed child sexual abuse material, including images generated by AI, was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark also ordered Michael A. Huseman, 32, to pay $23,000 in restitution to five identified victims. Huseman possessed over 22,000 files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on two cell phones and two laptops. Investigators also found 6,000 anime files depicting children being sexually abused and well as over 400 files of AI-generated CSAM. Included among the CSAM are about 201 files depicting child abuse victims who have been identified by law enforcement.

Huseman also told someone to delete almost 5,000 social media communications that Judge Clark said were likely not favorable to his case.

Huseman, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography.

The Manchester Police Department, the Regional Computer Crimes Education and Enforcement Group of Greater St. Louis and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A man who fled the St. Louis area in 2018 after learning that he was being investigated for participating in a Jamaican lottery scam pleaded guilty Wednesday.

Christopher Gibbon, 55, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He admitted receiving packages containing cash, checks and money orders from victims, as well as at least one wire transfer. He also admitted that co-conspirators in Jamaica called victims falsely claiming that the victims had won the lottery but needed to send taxes and fees to Gibbon before they could collect their prizes. Gibbon admitted receiving about $96,302 from eight victims between Dec. 19, 2016, and July 9, 2018, his plea says. Gibbon kept 20% of the money before electronically transferring the rest to co-conspirators. Gibbon received fake letters from conspirators via WhatsApp that purported to be from U.S. government officials asserting that the lottery was legitimate. He mailed those letters from the U.S. because victims would have become suspicious if the letters came from Jamaica.

On July 5, 2018, a New Jersey victim handed an envelope to a Postal Service employee addressed to Gibbon and said she was mailing to money to become a millionaire. She returned with more packages on July 6 and July 9, triggering the investigation, his plea says.

On July 20, 2018, less than two days after he was interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors, Gibbon told his wife that he was going to work and disappeared, according to court filings. He was arrested in 2025 in Connecticut.

Gibbon is scheduled to be sentenced on December 21. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service Jamaica Foreign Field Office and the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri Department of Transportation supervisor at the Normandy, Missouri maintenance facility has been indicted and accused of misusing state-issued credit cards to make $50,000 in personal purchases, including watches, clothing, cologne, shoes, and accessories for his personal vehicles.

Artemus Jamal “AJ” Jackson, 37, of Florissant, is also accused of stealing two newly purchased mowers and a newly purchased trailer from the MoDOT maintenance facility, valued at nearly $30,000.

Jackson was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with four counts of mail fraud. The indictment says Jackson misused MoDOT issued credit cards from December 2022 through July 2026.

Jackson made about 248 personal purchases using the cards, including electronic equipment, cologne, watches, clothing, shoes and equipment and accessories for his personal Yamaha Raptor ATV, Suzuki motorcycle and GMC Sierra 1500 truck, the indictment says.

To conceal those purchases, Jackson made false entries and edits on vendor invoices to make it appear as if the transactions were for legitimate MoDOT expenses, the indictment says. Jackson approved by signature the transactions and then submitted the false invoices to his supervisor to trick the supervisor into believing that the purchases were legitimate, the indictment says.

Further, in May of 2026, Jackson bought two mowers, one that cost $9,954 and another for $13,959, that were then delivered to MoDOT, the indictment says. He stole the mowers on May 17, 2026, and staged a burglary to make it appear as if someone else had taken them, the indictment says.  MoDOT began an investigation, and the indictment says that Jackson became concerned that his theft of the mowers would be discovered, so he moved them from the wooded area where he had hidden them to the shoulder of Interstate 70 at Hanley Road, and left a handwritten note on one of the mowers that read, “NORMANDY! MOWERS! MODOT!!!”  He also called in an anonymous tip about the mowers’ location, using a fake voice, and claimed in another call that he’d been told by a local elected official about the location of the mowers, the indictment says.

During MoDOT’s investigation of the missing mowers, Jackson was asked on May 28 about the location of a 14-foot Big Tex trailer and accessories that he’d purchased in 2025 with $5,411 in MoDOT funds, the indictment says. Jackson initially falsely claimed the trailer was stored at a MoDOT facility in Bellefontaine Neighbors and, concerned that his theft of the trailer would be discovered, drove it the next day from the area where he’d concealed it to a location blocking a lane on Missouri Highway 367 (Lewis and Clark Boulevard) in Bellefontaine Neighbors, the indictment says. The Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department recovered the trailer and video surveillance in the area showed Jackson towing the trailer with his personal truck to the location where he dumped it, and then later driving without the trailer, the indictment says.

Jackson started work at MoDOT on Dec. 9, 2013. He was promoted to maintenance supervisor on Oct. 1, 2022, and terminated on July 24, 2026.

Each count of mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

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 United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, and the Missouri Department of Transportation Audits and Investigations Division investigated the case, with the cooperation of the Missouri State Auditor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a man to 51 months in prison for using stolen personal information he obtained on the dark web to buy five vehicles worth $333,000 at dealers around the country.

Judge Clark also ordered Michael Calvin, 45, to pay $193,000 in restitution. Some of the vehicles have not been recovered and the dealers incurred costs in recovering others.

Calvin purchased victims’ stolen personal information and a template of a Missouri driver’s license on the dark web and then created fake licenses and identification cards to use in his scheme. From Nov. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2024, Calvin used fake identification and the stolen personal information to purchase cars online, as shown below:

Calvin was shot in St. Louis on Aug. 13, 2024, while trying to sell the Durango, according to court documents. He was living at a Rolla motel at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service; the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Ohio State Highway Patrol; and police departments in Eureka, Independence, Raymore, Richmond Heights, Rolla and St. Ann in Missouri; as well as Davenport, Iowa; El Reno, Okla.; Fond du Lac, Wisc.; and Lombard, Ill. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone on Tuesday sentenced an illegal immigrant who ran a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors in Missouri and elsewhere out of millions of dollars to 11 years in prison.

Judge Bluestone also ordered Siddharth Jawahar, 38, to pay $31.35 million in restitution to victims.

Judge Bluestone cited the “enormous” losses and the lengthy duration of Jawahar’s fraud and echoed a victim who said Jawahar “weaponized” investors’ trust. He also said Jawahar’s failure to begin repaying victims was a major factor.

Jawahar ran a Texas-based investment company called Swiftarc Capital LLC. In 2015, he began investing client funds in a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP). Eventually, 99% of client funds were consolidated into PMP. When the value of PMP declined, Jawahar did not tell investors and falsely claimed that his investors were making profits. Investors were also falsely led to believe that he’d invested their money in a specific company or companies but he never made the promised investments.

From about July 2016 through December 2023, Jawahar took in more than $35 million from Swiftarc investors but invested only about $10 million.

Jawahar used money from new investors to repay older investors and to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included travel on private jets, stays at luxury hotels, a luxury apartment in Austin and New York City, memberships at multiple private clubs across the country, spending sprees at clothing stores and expensive outings at fancy restaurants.

After his indictment, Jawahar tried to obstruct justice by trying to coach a victim into giving a favorable statement to the FBI, lying about his immigration status and finances and trying to get his sister to remotely wipe his iPhone to hide evidence.

Jawahar also managed additional entities that he utilized during his scheme, including Swiftarc Fund LP, Swiftarc LLC, Swiftarc Holdings, SJ Investment Holdings LLC, Order of Magnitude Ventures LLC, Extra Sensory Perception Inc., Swiftarc Growth Fund LP, Swiftarc Opportunities Fund LP, SJ Investment Holdings LLC, SV Labs SPV 1 LP, Swiftarc Venture Labs Fund GP LLC, SJDB Ventures LLC, Swiftarc Ventures LLC, Swiftarc Venture Labs Fund LP, Swiftarc Telehealth Labs Fund LP, NI Stubbs LLC and Swiftarc Beauty Fund LP.  

He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to three counts of wire fraud.

The FBI and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis on Thursday admitted being caught in a stolen car with two shotguns.

Maurice Brown Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On April 12, 2026, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers learned that a recently stolen Audi A4 was spotted driving in St. Louis. After following the car, Brown was seen by officers walking away from the car and a local resident identified him as the driver. Brown had an active warrant and was on probation at the time. When officers searched Brown, they found the keys to the car in his pocket. In the car, they found two shotguns. As a felon, Brown is barred from possessing firearms.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Freedlund is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A man who possessed child sexual abuse material and uploaded it to Snapchat was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release.

Joshua J. Klenke, 21, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted uploading child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to Snapchat. After an investigation sparked by CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators found videos and pictures containing CSAM on Klenke’s phone, as well as a picture of him kissing a 4-year-old girl on the lips. Klenke, who worked for a cleaning company, encountered the girl in a client’s home.

The St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A Southeast Missouri man who recorded his sexual abuse of children was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison.

Lantz D. Crawford, 26, of Ripley County, near Doniphan, recorded his sexual abuse of five girls, ages 2, 4, 5, 6 and 6, between the summer of 2024 and late 2025. In December of 2025, the mother of the 4-year-old girl contacted the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office after her daughter reported the abuse. Crawford’s phone was seized and investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting young children.

“This is one of the worst cases involving crimes against children I’ve encountered in my 23 years with the FBI, period. The abhorrent sexual abuse inflicted on these five preschool-aged children is beyond the pale,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Lantz Crawford deliberately positioned himself to gain access to vulnerable children. He exploited the trust of single mothers who believed he was offering a helping hand, volunteering to watch their children or drive them places, when in reality, he was creating opportunities to prey upon them.”

Crawford pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to five counts of production of child pornography.

The Ripley County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol 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.

ST. LOUIS – Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday found a St. Louis County felon caught with two guns guilty of a firearm charge.

Evidence and testimony at the trial, which started Tuesday, showed that a Hazelwood police officer stopped Paris D. McPeters on June 18, 2024, after he failed to stay in his lane. After learning that McPeters had an active warrant, the officer arrested him.  Before the vehicle was towed, the officer asked McPeters whether there were guns or drugs in the vehicle and McPeters responded, “yeah.” A search revealed a 5.56-caliber semi-automatic rifle with a loaded 100-round drum magazine, five additional loaded large capacity magazines, a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a loaded 50 round drum magazine and extra ammunition, evidence and testimony showed. McPeters has numerous prior convictions. As a felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.

McPeters, 44, was found guilty of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced December 9. The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

The Hazelwood Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Christian Goeke and Joseph Green are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis mail carrier has been accused of dumping at least 30,000 pieces of mail in vacant lots since 2024.

Armond Paige, 54, was indicted on September 2 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of delay or destruction of mail by a postal employee. The indictment says that Paige dumped mail in vacant, weedy lots rather than delivering it. From roughly 2024 to April 29, 2026, Paige discarded at least 30,000 pieces of mail in various vacant lots, the indictment says. At the time, Paige was working out of the Maryville Gardens Post Office on Meramec Street in south St. Louis.

Paige appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty.

A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in jail, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a southeast Missouri man to 20 years in prison for his role in the armed robbery of two businesses and their patrons in 2024.

Tarrence Raybon, 41, and two other men robbed a tobacco and liquor store in Kennett on Jan. 17, 2024. The two other men were armed. One grabbed a man and threw him to the ground while pointing a gun at him. They stole cash and a cell phone from victims and cash and lottery tickets from the store. Raybon was out on bond and wearing a GPS monitoring device on his ankle, which showed him at store at the time it was robbed.

Four days later, Raybon and two other men robbed another Kennett business. One man held a gun to a victim’s head while Raybon stole cash from the store’s office. Raybon used bolt cutters to break into video gambling machines and steal cash while his accomplices held employees and patrons at gunpoint. They also stole cash, a gun and a cell phone from victims. Raybon's ankle monitor again put him at the scene of the robbery. Both robberies were also captured on video.

On Feb. 27, 2024, Raybon and two other people were in a stolen car and being pursued by Pemiscot County Sheriff’s deputies and officers with the Portageville Police Department. The driver of the vehicle crashed. After Raybon fled on foot, officers found his driver’s license and a distinctive chrome Lorcin .380 handgun used during both robberies. 

Raybon, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Kennett Police Department, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Portageville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A Moberly, Missouri man was sentenced to 27 months in prison Tuesday and ordered to repay the $284,000 that he fraudulently obtained via a pandemic rental assistance scam.

Steven W. Hendren, 34, submitted numerous fraudulent applications for State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR) rental assistance to the Missouri Housing Development Commission from March 2021 through June 2024. Hendren falsely listed himself as a landlord in the loan applications and included fake lease agreements and financial statements. He also submitted other applications in which he fraudulently inflated rent amounts and altered lease agreements and financial statements.

The SAFHR program was designed to provide emergency assistance for rent, utility bills and other expenses during the pandemic. Hendren received $284,840, much of which he used for personal expenses including the purchase of a 2020 GMC Yukon.

Hendren pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ('Fraud Division'). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

ST. LOUIS – A caregiver from Dent County, Missouri on Friday admitted stealing at least $321,000 from a client.

Loretta Pyeatt, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of fraud in connection with access devices. She admitted that she worked for the victim from roughly July 2023 to September 2025. At the time she started, the victim had at least $232,026 and was receiving Social Security Administration retirement benefits and Veteran’s Affairs benefits monthly. He gave Pyeatt his debit cards so she could buy groceries for him. Pyeatt, however, used the card to make cash withdrawals and additional unauthorized purchases. Before Pyeatt started working for the victim, he had 20 to 30 debit transactions per month. That ballooned to as many as 330 transactions per month. By July 2025, the victim’s account balance had declined to less than $5,600.

Pyeatt is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man who was the original purchaser of 27 guns that were later recovered at crime scenes in three states was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

Lamondre Haynes, 33, bought 27 firearms that were recovered by law enforcement in Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri while in the possession of individuals being arrested for drug violations, violent assaults and gun possession crimes. Haynes identified himself as the “actual transferee/buyer” of each gun on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 - Firearms Transaction Record. Among those purchases were two Glock pistols Haynes bought on April 2, 2025, while accompanied by a convicted felon from Illinois. At least some of the cash for the purchase came from the felon. On May 1, 2025, Haynes bought two Glock pistols and two AK-style pistols from two different stores. One of the Glock pistols was recovered in Columbia, Illinois after being used in a carjacking during which the victim was shot.

Twenty-nine of the guns have not been recovered.

“Twenty-seven firearms purchased by one individual ended up in the hands of law enforcement across three states,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard “Butch” Hansen, of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. “That kind of proliferation demonstrates how quickly illegally diverted firearms can spread into communities and contribute to violent crime. ATF is committed to identifying those who fuel the illegal firearms market and working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to hold them accountable.”

Haynes, of Ferguson, Missouri, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A former gymnastics coach on Wednesday admitted engaging in unlawful sexual activity with two 13-year-olds.

Marco A. Zomphier, 32, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted meeting the first victim in 2012, when she was a member of a YMCA dance/gymnastics program and Zomphier was a coach/member of that program. They began communicating via text messages, the ooVoo video call app and the Kik messaging app. Zomphier praised his victim in those communications, flirted with her and professed his love for her. “I love you…. You’re the only girl I want to be Mrs. Zomphier,” he wrote at one point.

Zomphier convinced the victim to have him over at her house. There, he molested her but was unsuccessful in coercing her to have sex with him, his plea agreement says. On one occasion at her home, he tried to push her into her bedroom. Zomphier’s abuse of the victim ended around May of 2013.

In late 2021, the second victim met Zomphier at the Collinsville gymnastics program where he was a coach. They began communicating via Snapchat. Zomphier’s messages became more sexual in nature in January of 2022. They engaged in unlawful sexual activity in the parking lot of a store near her home and at his home in Bethalto, Illinois.

Zomphier is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of 25 years in prison.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Bethalto 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 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Bollinger County, Missouri was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for using threats to coerce two 13-year-old girls into sending him nude images.

Terry Michael Howard, 21, of Marble Hill, pleaded guilty in May in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He admitted communicating with the two teens via Snapchat in December of 2024, when he was 19. Howard claimed to be the father of a 13-year-old boy who the victims knew. He threatened to hurt or kill the boy if they did not send him sexually explicit material. In January 2025, the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office received a report about the allegations and investigated, resulting in Howard’s confession. The FBI located records of the chats, and Howard’s threats. Howard told investigators that he initially did this as a joke and stopped when he realized the girls were scared.

“Terry Michael Howard actually knew both minors but pretended to be someone else online to trick them. He threatened to harm a third juvenile if the two victims didn’t produce sexually explicit images,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Weston of the FBI St. Louis Division. “I commend both 13-year-old victims for their bravery. Even though they were the ones who were sexually exploited, they called 911 because they were worried another person would be harmed.”

After his release from prison, Howard will be on supervised release for 20 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI 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.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hannibal, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material that was discovered after he threatened a former paramour.

Joseph E. Courtney, 38, admitted in his guilty plea that he threatened the woman on Sept. 10, 2024. Among other messages, Courtney wrote, “I sleep and wake up with thoughts of killing you.” After his arrest for threatening behavior, investigators conducted a court-approved search of his phone and spotted possible child sexual abuse material (CSAM). A second search warrant then uncovered 62 videos containing CSAM, including the sexual assault of crying children. 

Courtney pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The Hannibal Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted requesting and receiving child sexual abuse material from a teen and then forcing her to produce more.

David Paeper, 20, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted meeting a 15-year-old girl on Instagram and requesting and receiving sexually explicit images of her. When she later refused his request for more images, he threatened to send the initial explicit images to her mother unless she produced more.

The Rogers (Arkansas) Police Department traced Paeper’s Instagram account and the St. Louis County Police Department found and interviewed Paeper. They also found images of the teen on Paeper’s phone.

Paeper is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The charge is punishable by five to 20 years in prison.

The Rogers (Arkansas) Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department 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 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a man caught with more than one-half pound of methamphetamine to 140 months in prison.

Nathan Hollis Price, 49, was caught on May 20, 2024, after investigators with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office learned that he was bringing the meth from St. Charles to the motel in Sullivan where he was staying. They conducted a traffic stop and found three bags containing a total of 245.9 grams of pure meth. They found two scales and a glass pipe in his motel room.

The amount of meth was “clearly an amount that he intended to distribute further,” a sentencing memo written by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar says.

Price pleaded guilty in May in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Rebar is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday convicted the former visiting pastor of a Missouri church of all 20 of the counts that he faced related to his orchestration of a $1.2 million pandemic loan fraud scheme as well as a more than $600,000 auto and personal loan fraud scheme.

After jurors deliberated for about an hour, they found Kenneth C. Sparks III, 56, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and 10 counts of money laundering.

The trial started Monday. Evidence and testimony showed that Sparks was invited to Faith Walk Ministry in Paris, Missouri, to preach for three days. He stayed three years, all the while using the church, its employees and parishioners to launch a “full-time fraud operation,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman told jurors in closing arguments. Sparks claimed to be a prophet and an apostle of God, whose word could not be questioned. “Kenneth Sparks impersonated God himself in order to steal millions of dollars in public funds during the worst days of the pandemic,” Wiseman said.

Sparks first fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for himself shortly after the pandemic hit. He then “exploited the faith of his congregation” by asking and receiving for parishioners’ personal and bank account information and using that to apply for additional loans, Wiseman said. He also directed them to open accounts at a credit union to receive the money and had them sign blank checks. Sparks told parishioners and church employees that he would use the information to fix their credit and/or obtain grants to build a megachurch, evidence and testimony showed. About 40 fraudulent EIDL and Paycheck Protection Program loans would eventually be obtained.

In testimony Wednesday, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Aaron Joifrita said $1.2 million in pandemic loans were obtained in the name of parishioners and church employees. Loan applications contained numerous falsehoods. The applications were filled out by church employees, with the help of two other Sparks’ co-conspirators from outside the church who supplied false tax and employment documents. Parishioners were also supplied with “scripts” in case they were questioned by bank officials about the loans. Just over $1 million went to Sparks, who wrote $313,000 in checks to himself and obtained $172,000 via cash withdrawals or advances in addition to spending $168,000 at luxury retailers, $127,000 on real estate and $47,000 on jewelry, including a diamond-studded Rolex watch, evidence showed.

Sparks also used many of the same methods to direct a scheme that took out $685,000 in personal and auto loans in his name and the names of others.

Sparks is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. Ten other defendants have either pleaded guilty or accepted responsibility in the case.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Karin Schute are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon on Wednesday admitted possessing a firearm that was first brought to authorities’ attention during a domestic disturbance.

Matthew Orasco, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Aug. 17, 2025, Brentwood Police Department officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival at Orasco’s home, they saw that his girlfriend had bruises under her eyes, a cut lip that had been stitched up, swelling on the side of her head and a red eye. She said that Orasco had assaulted her. Officers then learned that Orasco, a convicted felon, was keeping a handgun at a neighbor’s house. Officers found the .357 Magnum revolver and ammunition and learned that Orasco would ask for the pistol and then return it to the neighbor for safekeeping.

Orasco is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2. The charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

The Brentwood Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – The co-owner of a St. Louis bar on Monday admitted obtaining a credit card in the name of one of his co-owners and using it to charge nearly $30,000.

Anthony Saputo, 44, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of engaging in illegal transactions with an access device. Saputo admitted that on Sept. 9, 2021, while another of the bar’s co-owners was out of the country, he applied for and obtained an American Express card by using her name and Social Security number without her knowledge or authorization. In the next two months, Saputo charged nearly $30,000 on the card, including a $3,000 cash advance that he used to pay his rent and car loan. Some of the charges were also business expenses related to the opening of the bar. Saputo failed to pay the balance, incurring significant penalties and interest.

Saputo, of St. Louis County, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. As part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to release any ownership interest in the LLC that owns the bar. He will also be ordered to pay restitution.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A sex offender on Thursday admitted being caught with two children in a Missouri state park, triggering an investigation that uncovered child sexual abuse material.

Michael E. Barton, 46, of Washington County, admitted in his plea agreement that on Nov. 12, 2023, he was spotted by a Missouri State Park Ranger in Elephant Rocks State Park. The ranger ran Barton’s license plate and learned that he was a sex offender who, by law, is not allowed within 500 feet of a park with a playground. The ranger conducted a traffic stop and spotted two boys, ages 8 and 12, in the car who are not related to Barton. Barton provided the passcode to one of his cellphones, leading the ranger to discover a YouTube account that Barton had not registered and photos of the older boy shirtless.

The ranger also found photos of a second phone that included SnapChat conversations with the older boy that included adult pornography. When confronted with the ranger’s findings, Barton ran for his vehicle and grabbed the older boy’s arm but was shocked with a Taser and handcuffed. The ranger found and searched Barton’s second phone, with his consent, and uncovered photos and videos of the older boy, including videos taken with a camera Barton had hidden in his home.

Barton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of failure to update the sex offender registry.

Barton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18. The possession charge is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison and the failure to register charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The Missouri State Park Rangers and the Missouri State Highway Patrol 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 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A convicted felon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri who was caught with a gun after selling methamphetamine to investigators was sentenced Wednesday to 40 months in prison.

On Dec. 3, 2025, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Department conducted a court-approved search of the home of Dorothy Mae Neeley. Neeley had recently sold a small amount of meth to someone working with the Task Force. She was arrested on an unrelated warrant and turned over about 5 grams of a mixture containing meth, according to her plea agreement. She also told investigators that she had a firearm in her bedroom, and they found a disassembled sawed-off shotgun. Neeley is a convicted felon, having been imprisoned four times, and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

Neeley, 50, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in May to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon on Wednesday admitted exchanging gunfire with a customer of the St. Louis fast food restaurant where he worked.

Tony Robinson, 28, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Dec. 17, 2025, he got into an argument with a customer of the fast-food restaurant where he was working. After a manager intervened, Robinson walked away from the drive-thru window and put his headset on the counter. The customer was standing outside, looking through the window of the dining room. Robinson then walked outside with a hand in his pocket. The customer backed up and opened fire. Robinson pulled a gun from his pocket and returned fire. Both men continued shooting as they fled. The customer ran away and Robinson went back inside before firing through the window of the restaurant’s dining room.

Robinson ran from the restaurant into a nearby church and hid his gun in a stairwell. When St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers found Robinson, he initially lied and said he threw his gun into a sewer. Officers found his gun, a .45-caliber Glock pistol. Police interviewed the customer, who also said he was acting in self-defense. Officers found four .45-caliber cartridge casings and nine 9mm casings. There were bullet holes in the windshield and hood of the customer’s car and in the restaurant window.

Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Georgia has been arrested and accused of possessing about 53 kilograms of cocaine and two firearms.

Chad E. “J-Bo” Brown, 54, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on August 14 with one count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms of cocaine. He appeared in court Monday.

The complaint and affidavit say that the day before Brown’s arrest, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned of a cocaine shipment that had arrived in St. Louis and suspected that Brown was using a St. Louis County home as a drug stash house. Agents conducted a court-approved search of the home on August 14 and found about 49 kilos of cocaine in duffel bags in a bedroom closet and four more kilos in the kitchen, the affidavit says. Two guns were found in a bedroom.

A charge set forth in a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and was initiated by the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Delworth is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri man appeared in court Thursday to answer charges accusing him of a fatal 2024 carjacking.

Terry Thomas, 21, was indicted on July 16, 2025, with one count of carjacking resulting in death, one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of causing death through the use of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday.

The indictment accuses Thomas of stealing a Kia Stinger on May 6, 2024, in Jennings, Missouri, resulting in a man’s death.

A motion seeking to have Thomas held in jail until trial says the victim was shot five times. The stolen Stinger was found abandoned by Creve Coeur at 2:46 a.m., about six hours after the carjacking. Thomas was arrested by police on June 20, 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 St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Wayne County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted distributing child sexual abuse material that he produced as a minor.

Tanner Stevens, 23, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted viewing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) beginning when he was 13 or 14. Stevens took pictures of two minors when he was a minor and uploaded them to X when he was 21. The investigation began when the Missouri State Highway Patrol Special Victims Unit received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding someone who uploaded CSAM into Google Photos. Investigators traced the account to Stevens. Stevens’ cellular phone contained over 100 videos and over 400 images containing CSAM.

Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17. The charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter 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. For more information, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Venice, Illinois was sentenced Tuesday to 154 months in prison for the armed robbery and carjacking of one man in St. Louis in 2024 and for shooting at another man an hour later.

On Sept. 4, 2024, Harry Moore, 21, was driving a Cadillac that had been stolen in Belleville, Illinois, and was accompanied by two other armed people, including a juvenile. They spotted an SUV in the Tower Grove East neighborhood in St. Louis and decided to rob the driver. Moore’s two passengers got out and demanded the victim’s wallet, iPhone and keys. Then Moore, who was also armed, got out and demanded that the victim unlock his phone and provide his debit card PIN so that the three could loot his accounts. Moore then drove to a gas station, followed by his accomplices, and used the victim’s debit card to withdraw more than $200 from an ATM. He used the victim’s phone to transfer $200 from the victim to an associate via Cash App.

About an hour later, Moore was in the front passenger seat of the stolen SUV when he spotted someone from a rival group walking near Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis. Moore opened fire with a .45-caliber handgun as his target fled into a parking garage. Later that day, investigators found the juvenile and the SUV in East St. Louis.

On Oct. 10, 2024, Moore was arrested inside a home in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. Investigators found three firearms there, including the Glock used in the shooting.

Moore’s conduct risked the lives of his victims and anyone near the shooting, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin said in court Tuesday. The carjacking and shooting followed a “staggering amount of crimes” that began at a young age, Martin said, adding that Moore was one of a small subset of individuals responsible for a large amount of violent crime.

Moore, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one felony count of carjacking and one felony count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and the St. Clair County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have been accused of shooting at St. Louis Metropolitan police officers and ATF agents last month.

Justin R. Price, 19, and Alexavier Bishop, 19, both of Florissant, were charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday with aiding and abetting the assault of federal agents and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Price appeared in court Friday. Bishop is in custody.

The officers and agents were conducting a traffic stop at Oriole and Thekla Avenues in St. Louis on July 28 when just after 9 p.m. a Ford Fusion stopped about one block away and someone fired 12 shots with an automatic weapon. Police pursued the Fusion, which was abandoned in the 1500 block of Sells Avenue. An affidavit filed in support of the complaint says that Bishop, Price and one other person were in the Fusion but escaped, the affidavit says.

About 90 minutes before the shooting, Price and Bishop were spotted pulling on the door handles of parked vehicles in the 1700 block of McLaran Avenue, about one mile away, and appeared to be armed, the affidavit says.

“It is a miracle that the police officers, ATF agents and bystanders were not wounded in this incident,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “You can be assured that we are treating this assault with the utmost seriousness. We are grateful for the hard work of investigators and the assistance of the public, and we hope that the public will continue to help us in this ongoing investigation.”

“The fact that no one was struck by the 12 rounds fired at St. Louis police officers and ATF agents that night was extraordinarily fortunate, but it does not diminish the seriousness of this alleged attack,” said ATF Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen. “This case reflects the determined work of state, local and federal partners, along with community members who came forward to help. We are especially grateful for SLMPD’s investigative work and for the diligence of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in reviewing the evidence and securing these charges as the investigation continues.”

“An attack on law enforcement is an attack on the people working every day to keep our neighborhoods safe. These arrests demonstrate what is possible when local, state and federal law enforcement work together, supported by a community willing to come forward and help, with a shared commitment to accountability,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Tracy. “I am grateful to the many law enforcement partners involved in this investigation, along with our nationally recognized SLMPD Crime Laboratory, for working relentlessly to identify those allegedly responsible and move this case forward.”

Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Alton Police Department and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office were involved in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A Florissant man on Monday admitted setting fires in a hotel near Ferguson, Missouri in 2025.

Brandon Dallas Smith, 40, admitted purchasing a cup of gasoline from a convenience store at 2:26 a.m. on March 26, 2025, and then using that gas to ignite several fires at the hotel. Two of the fires were ignited outside of hotel room doors. Hotel guests put out the fires before the fire department arrived, but the hotel was damaged.

Smith pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of use of a facility of interstate commerce with intent to commit a crime of violence in furtherance of arson.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Squad investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Sparta, Illinois has been accused of promoting and facilitating the prostitution of a woman found dead of an overdose in 2025.

Jared Anders, 30, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on July 22 on three felonies: sex trafficking, use of interstate commerce with intent to distribute prostitution and use of interstate facilities to promote prostitution. He appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty.

The indictment alleges that Anders benefited financially from the prostitution of the victim between Feb. 1, 2025, and May 22, 2025. 

A motion seeking to have Anders held in jail until trial says that the investigation began on May 22, 2025, when the victim was found dead of an overdose in a hotel in Edmundson, Missouri, near St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The victim’s picture had been posted on multiple online prostitution sites, the motion says, and she and Anders had been communicating about her prostitution activities and the drugs that she said she needed to keep working as a prostitute.

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 Edmundson Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

ST. LOUIS – A former North County Police Cooperative officer on Monday admitted sexually assaulting 18 men after detaining or arresting them.

Marcellis Blackwell, 36, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 18 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to bodily integrity. All of the counts involved abusive sexual contact and fifteen involved the kidnapping of the victims.

As part of his plea agreement, Blackwell admitted that between Nov. 8, 2022, and June 5, 2023, while working as an officer with the North County Police Cooperative, Blackwell sexually assaulted 18 men. The assaults typically followed traffic stops or arrests. In one case, Blackwell detained two men after a traffic accident, groping one in the back seat of his police vehicle before taking his other victim to a remote location. Sixteen of his victims were handcuffed at the time. Fifteen were taken to a remote location, including a high school and the back parking lot of Blackwell’s department, after he deactivated his body-worn camera. On 13 occasions Blackwell falsified reports by claiming that his body-worn camera had been active during his entire interaction with the arrestees.

The investigation began on June 4, 2023, when one of Blackwell’s victims from the previous day contacted the North County Police Cooperative. As more victims came forward, the FBI took over the investigation.

Blackwell is scheduled to be sentenced on November 24. The U.S. Attorney’s office will request a sentence of 30 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Krug and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Maria A. Lanahan on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis bus driver to 15 years in prison for engaging in sex acts with a 12-year-old Michigan girl.

After meeting the victim via social media in 2023, Harold Paul White, now 56, drove to Michigan to pick her up and bring her back to St. Louis. White engaged in illegal sex acts with the minor at his apartment in St. Louis and recorded those acts with a phone. When the victim realized that she had been reported missing, White bought her a bus ticket home.

“This is the second child predator we've sent to federal prison in as many days, underscoring the persistent threat these offenders pose to our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Child exploitation is not an isolated problem; it is a daily reality that the FBI and our law enforcement partners confront across the country. Parents need to understand that a child's bedroom is no longer a barrier between them and those who would do them harm. Online platforms give predators constant access to potential victims, making vigilance, communication, and reporting more important than ever.”

White pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to one count of interstate travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

The FBI and local police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A businessman and former St. Louis aldermanic candidate on Wednesday admitted committing Social Security disability fraud by falsely claiming to be unable to work for years.

Justin Idleburg, 47, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of theft of government money. He admitted that from January 2019 to May 2024, he failed to report his business activities and income from grants to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and exaggerated his symptoms to remain medically eligible for benefits. He fraudulently received a total of $51,388.50.

Idleburg initially began receiving Social Security disability benefits in January 2007. His disability determination was reviewed in 2018 and 2024, when he reported mental health symptoms and difficulty getting along with others. Despite those claims, beginning as early as 2017, Idleburg was involved in multiple community organizations, organized and attended public events, ran for the St. Louis Board of Alderman in 2019 and started two businesses, he admitted in his plea agreement. In March 2019, he formed Idleburg Consultants, LLC and listed himself as the principal. In 2020 his social media showed him volunteering at the polls for an election event. In 2022 Idleburg posted a photo of a chancellor’s certificate he received from the University of Missouri St. Louis in economic development.

In August of 2023, Idleburg registered Cabanne District Community Development Corporation and listed himself as president. He applied for and received $67,000 in grants for his business and deposited the grants in bank accounts he failed to disclose to the SSA. In 2023 he also participated in multiple media interviews regarding his businesses and spoke to lawmakers in Jefferson City regarding cultural bias in the energy sector.

Idleburg is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General’s Cooperative Disability Investigations program investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.