Western District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Springfield Man Sentenced for Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIFELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Greene County, Mo.
James D. Elbert, 42, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On July 5, 2023, Elbert pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin. Elbert admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin in Greene County from Oct. 2, 2015, to Nov. 13, 2017. Elbert admitted that, on three separate occasions, he sold a total of 6.86 grams of heroin to a law enforcement undercover informant in Springfield.
Elbert is the ninth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert and Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Ozark, Mo., Police Department.
Oklahoma Inmate Sentenced to 26 Years for Leading Meth Conspiracy from his Prison CellRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An inmate of the Lawton Correctional Facility in Oklahoma has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene and Polk Counties while he was incarcerated.
Joshua A. Ramirez, 39, who has no legal address, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, May 7, to 26 years in federal prison without parole. Ramirez was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Aug. 16, 2023, Ramirez pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Ramirez admitted that he facilitated large methamphetamine transactions from within the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Ramirez utilized drug couriers to transport methamphetamine and collect proceeds from several co-conspirators in southwest Missouri and elsewhere. Ramirez used a source of supply in Juarez, Mexico.
According to court documents, Ramirez is responsible for the distribution of 907 kilograms of methamphetamine.
During the time of this drug-trafficking conspiracy, Ramirez was serving a state felony sentence in Oklahoma for distributing a controlled substance and waiting to be released and transferred to federal custody to begin serving a 20-year prison sentence in a separate and unrelated case for distributing a controlled substance in the Northern District of Texas.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the El Dorado Springs, Mo., Police Department.
KC Man Indicted for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for producing child pornography that depicted the sexual assault of a 3-year-old victim.
Michael Adden, 26, was charged in a 14-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, May 7. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Adden on April 18, 2024, and contains additional charges. Adden remains in federal detention without bond.
The federal indictment charges Adden with 10 counts of producing child pornography involving the child victim between Nov. 14, 2023, and Feb. 6, 2024. Adden is also charged with one count of attempting to produce child pornography, two counts of distributing child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the investigation began when law enforcement received multiple reports of Adden allegedly uploading child pornography to Snapchat, Kik, Discord, and Instagram. On April 11, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Adden’s residence. Officers found a cell phone in an unlocked safe in the living room, which allegedly contained hundreds of videos of child pornography, including videos of the sexual assault of the child victim.
Officers also found 20 more cell phones in Adden’s residence. Forensic analysis of Adden’s electronic devices is still ongoing, but initial reviews indicate Adden was in possession of thousands of files depicting child pornography.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Lee’s Summit, Belton Men Indicted for Robbing Commerce BankRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man and a Belton, Mo., man were indicted by a federal grand jury today for robbing Commerce Bank.
Gerrad Deshaun Rivera-Willis, 24, of Lee’s Summit, and Rathell Qauvon Ross, 27, of Belton, were charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against both men on April 23, 2024. They remain detained in federal custody without bond.
The federal indictment alleges that Rivera-Willis and Ross stole $2,033 from Commerce Bank, 8901 State Line Road in Kansas City, Mo., on April 22, 2024.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Rivera-Willis dropped off a robbery note with a teller and grabbed the cash that was sitting on the counter during a transaction with a customer. Rivera-Willis then took cash out of a teller’s drawer, walked behind the counter, and had the teller show him that the opened safe was empty. Ross placed a note on the counter and was then handed cash by the teller.
Rivera-Willis and Ross allegedly fled from the bank in a stolen white Dodge Charger with all blacked-out tinted windows, all black wheels, a rear spoiler, blacked-out taillights, and the word "Dodge" across the top of rear window. The vehicle was wrecked in the vicinity of Gregory and Paseo, the affidavit says, and investigators saw Rivera-Willis and Ross running from the vehicle.
Ross, the passenger, was found by a police dog hiding behind the garage of a residence in the 1800 block of East 70th Street. Ross was hiding under a pile of rubbish covered by a tarp.
Rivera-Willis, the driver, was later found sitting on the front stoop of a residence in the 7000 block of Paseo Avenue and arrested. A police dog and his handler walked the scent path taken by Rivera-Willis and found the stolen money in a cinder block near another residence.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Jury Convicts El Dorado Springs Man of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An El Dorado Springs, Mo., man who was caught with thousands of images and videos of child pornography was convicted at trial today.
John Fitzgerald Mullings, 51, was found guilty of two counts of receiving and distributing child pornography.
Law enforcement received multiple reports from MeWe, Dropbox and Snapchat of Mullings uploading images and videos of child pornography to their servers. Investigators contacted Mullings at his residence on March 2, 2021. Officers seized Mullings’s cell phone, which contained 678 images and 96 videos of child pornography, including rape and/or bondage of minors.
Mullings was indicted on one count of receiving and distributing child pornography from Feb. 2, 2020, to March 2, 2021, based on these images and videos.
On Aug. 3, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Mullings’s residence (which also served as the office for his business, Steward Wrecker) in relation to an unrelated state criminal investigation. Officers seized 14 cell phones, multiple computers, laptop computers and computer tablets, as well as electronic storage devices. Investigators conducted a forensic examination of those devices and determined that 11 of those electronic devices contained child pornography. On just one of Mullings’s tablets investigators found 5,197 images and 211 videos. The files included visual depictions of sexual conduct with animals, binding and/or forced sexual contact with persons, and physical assault and deceased persons. In total, investigators found 14,249 images, and 2,054 videos of child pornography among Mulling’s devices.
Mullings was charged in a superseding indictment with an additional count of receiving and distributing child pornography from March 3, 2021 to Aug. 3, 2022, based on these images and videos.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., deliberated for 27 minutes before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, ending a trial that began Monday, May 6.
Under federal statutes, Mullings is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the El Dorado Springs, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
KC Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Fentanyl Conspiracy That Resulted in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death.
Dmitry Cattell, 24, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, May 2, to 21 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 21, 2023, Cattell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, two counts of distributing fentanyl, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
Cattell distributed at least 6,225 doses of fentanyl during the conspiracy from Sept. 12, 2019, to April 5, 2022. Cattell admitted that the conspiracy also involved at least 1.1 kilograms of cocaine.
Evidence was presented during yesterday’s sentencing hearing related to the delivery of fentanyl, the use of which caused the death of another person on May 18, 2020. The victim of the fatal overdose is not identified in court documents.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers responded four times to Cattell’s residence for drug overdoses. After Cattell sold a pill to his sister, which caused her overdose, a search warrant was executed at his residence on Nov. 10, 2020. Law enforcement officers found drug paraphernalia and a Taurus handgun with a defaced serial number, which was under the pillow on Cattell’s bed. Cattell admitted selling fentanyl to a woman (who crashed her vehicle in front of his residence), his girlfriend, and his sister, who all overdosed. All of these narcotics were distributed by Cattell at his residence.
Cattell is among 11 defendants who have been convicted in this case, and the second defendant to be sentenced. Co-defendant Dominic E. Holland, 25, was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2023, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Brackett and Stephanie Bradshaw. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Kearney, Mo., Police Department, the Olathe, Kan., Police Department, and the Riverside, Mo., Police Department.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Conspiracy After Officers Seize $1 Million Worth of Cocaine in I-70 Traffic StopRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, man has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine after law enforcement officers seized more than $1 million worth of cocaine from a rental truck that was stopped on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County, Mo.
Luis Gerardo Nieto-Acosta, 37, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Monday, April 29, to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Nieto-Acosta, the fourth and final defendant to plead guilty in this case, entered his plea on the day his trial was scheduled to begin. Co-defendants Wilmer Antony Mendoza-Perez, 25, a citizen of Honduras, and Miguel Angel Anguiano-Viera, 27, both of Oklahoma City, and Jose Eduardo Acosta-Bermejo, 29, a citizen of Mexico, of Bethany, Okla., also have pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
An officer with the Missouri State Highway Patrol stopped Mendoza-Perez on Jan. 24, 2023, as he was driving a Penske rental truck eastbound on Interstate 70 in Lafayette County. A Toyota Highlander, later determined to be occupied by Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo, attempted to prevent the officer from getting behind the Penske truck to initiate a stop. When the Penske truck pulled over, the Toyota Highlander continued traveling eastbound on Interstate 70.
According to the rental agreement for the Penske truck, it was rented in Oklahoma City on Jan. 20, 2023, by a woman who was not present in the truck, and scheduled to be returned to Fullerton, California, on Jan. 26, 2023. Mendoza-Perez could not explain why he was driving the truck in Missouri.
The officer searched the rear cargo area of the truck and found two boxes that contained a total of 34 kilograms of cocaine. The average street price in the Kansas City metropolitan area for a kilogram of cocaine was approximately $30,000 at that time, which would make 34 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $1,020,000.
Mendoza-Perez was arrested. The Toyota Highlander was found abandoned at the Pilot truck stop a few miles away. Investigators later searched the Highlander and found two Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handguns, with four magazines and 9mm ammunition.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video at the truck stop, which showed a third vehicle, a Honda Pilot occupied by Anguiano-Viera and a juvenile female, arrived at the truck stop and picked up Nieto-Acosta and Acosta-Bermejo. A short time later, this vehicle was located, and the occupants arrested when they stopped at a convenience store in Odessa, Mo.
Under federal statutes, Nieto-Acosta is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Smith and John C. Constance. It was investigated by the Lafayette County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas City Airport Police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
KC Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery, Carjacking During Illegal Drug SaleRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for an armed robbery and carjacking that occurred during an illegal drug sale.
Mykus Butler, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, April 29, to 14 years and two months in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 30, 2023, Butler pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a robbery, aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and aiding and abetting a carjacking.
Butler admitted that he contacted the victim of the robbery on March 10, 2020, and arranged to buy marijuana from him. The victim met Butler at a Kansas City, Mo., residence later the same day. However, instead of buying marijuana, Butler got into the back seat of the victim’s vehicle and pointed a firearm at him while taking the victim’s marijuana and firearm. Two armed associates of Butler joined the effort by pulling the victim, who was in the driver’s seat, and a front seat passenger out of the car. The victim was pistol whipped as he was pulled from the vehicle. After a brief confrontation, the victim ran away as one of Butler’s associates pointed and shot a firearm at him and the passenger. After the victim and the passenger ran away, Butler and his associates got into the victim’s car and drove it from the scene.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Springfield CPA Pleads Guilty to Stealing $400,000 from Trust FundRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to embezzling more than $400,000 from a trust fund under his control.
Ray Leonard Marple, 61, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges him with one count of wire fraud and one count of making a false federal tax return.
Marple, a certified public accountant, has been operating his own accounting firm since 1999. By pleading guilty today, Marple admitted that he embezzled approximately $432,981 from a revocable trust account from July 7, 2017, through May 3, 2023, following the death of the grantor.
According to the plea agreement, Marple would have been entitled to trustee fees less than $2,500 annually, or $17,500 total for the seven years, significantly less than he withdrew from the trust account for personal purposes. Marple therefore stole at least $415,481 from the trust account. Marple admitted he used proceeds from the fraud scheme to purchase his residential property in Springfield.
Marple also admitted that he under-reported his income on federal tax returns from 2018 to 2020. Marple earned nearly $177,000 in taxable income that was not reported over those three years, for which he owes $59,622 in federal income taxes.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Marple must pay up to $415,481 in restitution to the trust and at least $59,622 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, as ordered by the court. Marple also must forfeit to the government a money judgment of $415,481 and his Springfield residential property.
Under federal statutes, Marple is subject to a sentence of up to 23 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
Olathe Man Indicted for Stealing 41 FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Olathe, Kansas, man was arrested yesterday while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States after being indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Mo.
“We are committed to stanching the flow of illegal firearms on the black market, whether they’re trafficked within the United States or smuggled into Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Stolen firearms often supply black market dealers and fuel more crime and violence. It’s critical that we hold to account everyone involved along this chain of criminal activity.”
“Today’s charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico — where they arm the violent cartels that flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”
“Mexican organized crime groups use firearms to commit heinous crimes against civilians and rival criminal groups,” stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Kansas City. “There is no safe hiding place for anyone engaged in illegal firearms trafficking to Mexico. Stemming the flow of illegal guns to Mexico is of the highest priority for ATF and we will work relentlessly to investigate firearm thefts in order to prevent and dismantle the flow of illegal firearms.”
Frank Guereca, 22, was charged with one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, April 24. The indictment was unsealed and made public today. Guereca is scheduled for his initial court appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in El Paso, Texas (3:30 p.m. CST) before U.S Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres of the Western District of Texas.
The federal indictment alleges that Guereca, aiding and abetting others, stole the firearms on June 16, 2023. All of the stolen firearms were pistols of various manufacturers and calibers.
According to court documents, Guereca and at least two others used a stolen U-Haul to conduct the firearms theft. One of the stolen pistols from the gun store was recovered in Tracy, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. A second stolen pistol was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. A third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6, 2024.
Guereca was arrested on Thursday, April 25, as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had previously crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raytown, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Kansas Man Indicted for Stealing 41 FirearmsRead the Press Release
A Kansas man was arrested yesterday while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States after being indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Missouri.
A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging Frank Guereca, 22, of Olathe, with one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee. Guereca made his initial court appearance in El Paso, Texas, today in the Western District of Texas.
“Today’s charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico — where they arm the violent cartels that flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”
“Unlawful firearms trafficking is not a victimless crime,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Guns trafficked to Mexico often end up in the hands of violent cartels that use them to hurt people and commit crimes. Here, ATF’s agents and National Tracing Center staff quickly used our eTrace system to generate critical leads. As today’s indictment shows, working jointly with our Mexican and domestic law enforcement partners, ATF can help stop traffickers. That way, we protect communities on both sides of the border.”
“We are committed to stanching the flow of illegal firearms on the black market, whether they’re trafficked within the United States or smuggled into Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Stolen firearms often supply black market dealers and fuel more crime and violence. It’s critical that we hold to account everyone involved along this chain of criminal activity.”
The federal indictment alleges that Guereca, aiding and abetting others, stole the firearms on June 16, 2023. All of the stolen firearms were pistols of various manufacturers and calibers.
According to court documents, Guereca and at least two others used a stolen U-Haul to conduct the firearms theft. One of the stolen pistols from the gun store was recovered in Tracy, California, on Nov. 14, 2023. A second stolen pistol was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. A third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6.
Guereca was arrested yesterday, as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico. Guereca is scheduled for his initial court appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in El Paso, Texas (4:30 p.m. ET) before U.S Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres of the Western District of Texas. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had previously crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.
ATF and the Raytown Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Texas is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
KC Police Officer Indicted for $300,000 Charity Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., police officer who ran an anti-crime charity has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a scheme in which he spent more than $300,000 in donations for his own personal expenses.
Aaron Wayne McKie, 46, was charged in a 16-count indictment returned under seal on Tuesday, April 23. The indictment was unsealed and made public today upon McKie’s arrest and initial court appearance.
McKie has worked as a police officer for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department for 24 years, since April 2000. He was assigned as a police officer to the Crime Free Multi-Housing section from 2002 through 2023.
McKie served from 2009 to 2023 as president of Mid-America Crime Free, Inc. (MACF), a non-profit organization that claimed to provide training to persons in the rental housing industry and promote anti-crime programs. He was an officer of the charity for three years prior, from 2006 to 2009.
The federal indictment alleges that McKie devised a scheme to defraud MACF and its donors that began in July 2009 and lasted until October 2023. According to the indictment, individuals and businesses contributed $387,620 to MACF, not including in-kind donations. McKie spent at least $320,060 for his own personal purposes.
The biggest source of MACF funds was an annual golf tournament, “Fairways 4 Fuzz Golf Tournament.” Individuals and businesses donated both money and in-kind donations, such as food and beverages, to MACF via the golf tournament. At least 121 donors have been identified.
From 2009 to 2023, the flyers soliciting donations and players for the tournament claimed the funds raised would enable MACF to provide free seminars to owners of rental properties and train police officers. In reality, the indictment, those claims were false. The Kansas City Police Department paid the salaries and expenses of Crime Free Multi-Housing unit officers who may have provided training to landlords; McKie used the majority of MACF funds for personal spending; and the IRS had revoked the organization’s tax exempt status in 2010.
The indictment alleges that McKie used the MACF bank account as his own personal account. McKie allegedly spent most of the money donated for charitable purposes in the following ways:
- $125,989 in travel, entertainment, restaurants, and bars;
- $57,278 in retail and luxury;
- $41,040 in transfers to personal accounts;
- $36,874 in cash;
- $27,279 pre-2016;
- $23,298 in household expenses;
- $8,299 in personal tax payments.
The federal indictment charges McKie with 14 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Taking Fentanyl from HospitalRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An anesthesiologist at a Lee’s Summit, Mo., hospital pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally taking fentanyl from the hospital.
Roman Peplinski, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge.
Peplinski was employed as an anesthesiologist at Union Hill Group in Kansas City, Mo. Peplinski worked at Lakewood Medical Center in Lee’s Summit and Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., which are both part of University Health.
Peplinski admitted that he illegally obtained fentanyl from Lakewood Medical Center on Nov. 5, 2022. Peplinski misrepresented the fentanyl was for a patient, when in reality, that patient had been discharged from Lakewood Medical Center earlier that day. Fentanyl was not listed under the “medication orders” on the patient’s chart for the hospital visit.
Peplinski also admitted to withdrawing fentanyl from three vials from Sept. 1, 2022, through Nov. 30, 2022.
On Feb. 16, 2023, personnel from Lakewood Medical Center reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration that three vials of fentanyl in an automated dispensing cabinet showed signs of tampering. In March 2023 seven vials of fentanyl that were suspected of being tampered with were sent to the FDA’s Forensic Chemistry Center where tests were performed on the vials and their contents. Of the seven vials, three showed evidence of being tampered with. One of those vials contained no fentanyl and the other two vials contained a small amount of fentanyl.
The government has no evidence that any patients were harmed as a result of Peplinski tampering with vials of fentanyl.
Under federal statutes, Peplinski is subject to a sentence of up to four years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration-Office of Criminal Investigations.
Ohio Man Sentenced for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Cincinnati, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today for carrying thousands of methamphetamine pills aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Mo.
Antuan McClendon, 43, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.
On Dec. 21, 2023, McClendon pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
McClendon was a passenger aboard a bus traveling from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Indianapolis, Indiana, which stopped at a terminal in Kansas City, Mo. McClendon was arrested after a law enforcement drug-sniffing dog alerted to his backpack in an overhead compartment above his seat.
Officers searched McClendon’s backpack and found a large bundle hidden within a pair of jeans. The larger bundle contained three smaller bundles, each of which contained multi-colored tablets inside clear heat-sealed bags. In total, the bundles contained 8,288 methamphetamine tablets, which weighed a total of 2,899 grams.
McClendon admitted to officers that he had purchased the pills in Las Vegas and planned to sell them for $1 apiece.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
KC Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., tax preparer pleaded guilty in federal court today to aiding the preparation of dozens of false tax returns.
Linzell Harris, 67, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return.
Harris owned and operated The MJM Group, Inc., a tax preparation business, from 1999 through 2022. By pleading guilty today, Harris admitted that he willfully exaggerated and fabricated multiple deductions and credits for his clients to obtain large refunds. The total tax loss to IRS for tax years 2015 through 2019 as a result of Harris’s false tax returns was $124,308.
Harris prepared returns for at least 12 taxpayer clients, resulting in at least 43 false income tax returns for tax years 2015 through 2019.
In addition to assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, Harris admitted he did not file personal tax returns for 2015 and 2016, causing a tax loss of $60,753.
The total tax loss caused the Harris’s preparation of false tax returns and his failure to file personal tax returns is $185,061.
Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
West Plains Man Sentenced for Illegally Harvesting Trees in National ForestRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally harvesting and stealing trees from Mark Twain National Forest.
Justin Lee Massey, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court ordered the federal sentence to be served consecutively to the unrelated state criminal convictions for which Massey is currently incarcerated. The court also ordered Massey to pay $30,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service and to forfeit to the government $30,000, which represents the proceeds of his theft.
On July 19, 2023, Massey pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property. Massey admitted that he illegally cut down trees in Mark Twain National Forest, in the area of HC Road 5120 in Howell County, Mo., between Dec. 15, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021.
According to his plea agreement, Massey cut down at least 10 trees. The trees were removed from the area and taken to a local sawmill, where they were sold. Based on the value of the trees illegally harvested and stolen from Mark Twain National Forest and those trees damaged due to the illegal harvesting, the total restitution is $30,000.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service.
Tulsa Man Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Tulsa, Oklahoma, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri after law enforcement officers seized approximately 29 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately $57,000, and several firearms.
Jeffrey L. Hughley, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Hughley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Hughley admitted that he was a courier during the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Greene, Jasper, Newton, and Christian Counties from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022. Hughley delivered more than 4.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine to co-defendant Brian E. Hall, 46, of Aurora, Mo.
Hughley was arrested on April 28, 2022, when he drove to Hall’s residence. Law enforcement officers searched his black Toyota Camry and found 10 garbage bags in the trunk that contained a total of 22 pounds of pure methamphetamine. Officers also found a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the floorboard of the front passenger seat.
Hughley was arrested after law enforcement officers had executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence as part of an ongoing methamphetamine investigation. Officers seized seven pounds of methamphetamine from Hall’s residence, as well as a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol, approximately $57,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia used for the packaging and sale of methamphetamine.
A co-conspirator told investigators that Hughley had delivered large quantities of methamphetamine to Hall’s residence on at least four occasions. Each time he dropped off methamphetamine, he also picked up cash from Hall to return to an individual in Oklahoma. The co-conspirator told investigators that Hughley was supposed to pick up $57,000 from Hall on the night of his arrest.
According to court documents, Hughley made multiple trips to multiple states to distribute methamphetamine for which he was paid thousands of dollars. In April 2022, Hughley purchased a drone for $5,730 for a leader of the drug-trafficking organization. Hughley and a co-conspirator discussed using the drone to smuggle contraband into a prison facility.
Hughley operated a business, God’s Gifted Athletes, where he provided strength training to young athletes in his community. The government’s sentencing memorandum noted the devastating impact of methamphetamine use on youth and families. According to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, children whose parents use methamphetamine have an increased risk of exposure to parental violence, placement into foster care, and living in environments that do not have adequate resources to meet their basic needs.
The amount of methamphetamine Hughley trafficked to Barry County in only four trips (while in possession of a firearm) was enough to supply four doses (0.25 grams per dose) of methamphetamine to every man, woman, and child in the community.
Hughley is the second defendant sentenced in this federal indictment, in which 20 defendants have been charged. Hall pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023, and awaits sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa County, Ok., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Deepwater Man Sentenced for $500,000 CARES Act FraudRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Deepwater, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for fraudulently obtaining more than $500,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Brian Ruth, Sr., 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to nine years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Ruth to pay a $15,000 fine, to pay $522,765 in restitution to the Small Business Administration, and to forfeit to the government $336,000. Ruth was taken into custody immediately following the hearing to begin serving his prison term.
On May 5, 2021, Ruth pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Ruth admitted that he applied online in May and June 2020, and received three PPP loans totaling $522,765 for three separate business entities. Each of the loan applications contained materially false statements and included fraudulent supporting documents. Ruth, who was convicted in 2018 of filing false or fraudulent tax returns, falsely claimed on his PPP loan documents that he had not been convicted of a fraud offense within the last five years of applying for these loans.
Ruth falsely claimed his three businesses were operational and employed numerous individuals in February 2020, when in reality, the businesses had not been open or operational and did not employ anyone.
Ruth also admitted that he directed the fraudulently obtained PPP loan proceeds to be wired to his bank accounts. According to court documents, at least five bank accounts under Ruth’s name were seized in an effort to recover some of the monies he had fraudulently stolen. When Ruth’s bank accounts were seized by law enforcement, they contained less than $6 in all of the five accounts collectively. Ruth spent all of the money he stole within about five months to fund his luxurious lifestyle.
Ruth used the proceeds of his fraud to gamble, purchase real estate, and purchase a 2016 Cadillac, a 2020 Dodge Charger, and a 2017 Dodge Challenger. Ruth traded the Cadillac and the Charger (along with $27,415) to purchase the Challenger.
According to court documents, Ruth has prior convictions for 10 felonies and 11 misdemeanors that include stealing, passing bad checks, theft, identity theft, violating protection orders, filing false tax returns, and immoral conduct with a minor. He has been arrested and/or charged with an additional 23 felony and 26 misdemeanor offenses throughout his life, including passing bad checks, trespassing, identity theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, burglary, and possessing a dangerous weapon. Ruth has not gone a single year in his life in which he has not been arrested and/or convicted for some type of fraud or other criminal offense.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Republic Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Republic, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing fentanyl to distribute and several firearms following two instances in which he fled from law enforcement officers.
Tonikko Fewell, 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two counts of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Aug. 16, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Fewell’s residence. Fewell drove by his residence while officers were executing the search warrant. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Fewell dropped off a female passenger and quickly sped away at speeds over 100 miles per hour. Officers discontinued the pursuit over public safety concerns.
Officers searched Fewell’s residence and found approximately 588 grams of fentanyl, $3,420 in cash, and an Anderson .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle, which had been reported stolen, with a fully loaded 40-round magazine. Officers also found a Jimenez Arms 9mm semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen and a Walther 9mm semi-automatic pistol in a vehicle parked at the residence.
On Dec. 8, 2021, a Springfield, Mo., police detective attempted to conduct a traffic stop of an orange Cadillac Fewell was driving. The detective did not pursue the vehicle, but shortly afterward saw the vehicle had been involved in a three-car accident at the intersection of Commercial Street and National Avenue. The detective searched the vehicle and found 54 grams of fentanyl and $4,232 in cash. Fewell, a passenger, and their 2-year-old daughter were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Fewell has a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.
Under federal statutes, Fewell is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Republic, Mo., Police Department, and the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Rasta, Court Therapy Dog, Honored for Service to ChildrenRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore presents the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award to Rasta, a courtroom therapy dog, and the golden retriever’s handler and owner, Jennifer Vernon.KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Teresa Moore, United State Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, presented the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award today to Rasta, a courtroom therapy dog, and the golden retriever’s handler and owner, Jennifer Vernon.
The award, presented annually during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 21 to 27), honors the memories of Ali Kemp and Crystal Kipper, both of whom were fatal victims of tragic crimes. This is the 20th year for the award, which recognizes the outstanding work of an individual or organization in recognition of a valued contribution to preventing and responding to the exploitation of children.
“Every dog lover has had the experience of being comforted by their devoted canine friend,” Moore said. “This year we are recognizing Rasta’s invaluable contribution of a calming influence for traumatized children during stressful, sometimes intimidating, legal proceedings. By helping to reduce the anxiety of these vulnerable victims, Rasta contributes to our goal of achieving justice for them. And by presenting Rasta with this award, we hope to encourage the use of court therapy dogs in more settings.”
Tina Sutter, a victim-witness coordinator with the U.S. Attorney's Office, treats Rasta to a cupcake following the award presentation.Rasta provides emotional support to help young victims and witnesses speak up to describe truthfully and accurately what happened to them. The scientific evidence for the physical and mental calming effects of appropriately bred and trained dogs is overwhelming, according to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, and includes both physical and psychological effects.
Rasta, a trained therapy dog, originally worked in hospice as well as working alongside Vernon, the Director of Child, Youth and Family Clinical Services at Synergy Services, Inc. Rasta has provided comfort to children at Synergy who experienced trauma, to homeless and traumatized teens, and even to the adult staff at Synergy. In 2019, following some additional training, Rasta went into the courtroom for the first time. He sat in the witness box with a teen abuse survivor during his first trial experience in Platte County Circuit Court.
Since then, said Vernon, Rasta has worked at more trials, depositions, and other hearings. Sometimes he is present to provide comfort to survivors before and after testimony.
Moore presented the Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Award alongside Anna Kipper Rea, the mother of Crystal Kipper, and Jill and Bob Leiker of the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, an organization founded by the late Roger Kemp, the father of Ali Kemp.
The theme for the 2024 Crime Victims’ Rights week is “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” There is a focus on creating safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them and offer support, options for life-saving services, and most importantly, hope.
The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award
This is the 20th year for the award to be presented in memory of Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp, two young women who were both fatal victims of tragic crimes. Crystal Kipper was an 18-year-old Gladstone, Mo., resident who was murdered after her car ran out of gas on Interstate 29, just north of Platte City, on Feb. 24, 1997. Ali Kemp was a 19-year-old Blue Valley North High School graduate who was murdered on June 18, 2002, while she worked at the Foxborough neighborhood swimming pool in Leawood, Kan.
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore (center) with Rasta and Jennifer Vernon following the presentation of the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award. Moore presented the award alongside Anna Kipper Rea (with her husband, Mark), the mother of Crystal Kipper, and Jill and Bob Leiker of the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, an organization founded by the late Roger Kemp, the father of Ali Kemp, whose son Tyler Kemp is also pictured.Webb City Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Kidnapping Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Webb City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the torture and death of the victim, and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Amy Kay Thomas, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
On April 27, 2023, Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Thomas is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in this case. James B. Gibson, also known as “Gibby,” 41, of Neosho, Mo., was sentenced on Monday, April 15, to 30 years in federal prison without parole. Russell Eugene Hurtt, also known as “Uncle,” 52, of Greenwood, Mo., was sentenced on Tuesday, April 16, to seven years in federal prison without parole. Lawrence William Vaughan, also known as “Scary Larry,” 52, of Neosho, was sentenced on Nov. 7, 2013, to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
Two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing in this case. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for Freddie Lewis Tilton, also known as “Ol’ Boy,” 51, and Carla Jo Ward, 50, both of Joplin, Mo.
Thomas admitted that she participated in a conspiracy to kidnap the victim, identified as “M.H.,” in July 2020. Tilton offered Ward and Vaughan $5,000 each to locate and secure M.H. for him. Ward picked up M.H., whom she knew was being sought by Tilton, and took him to Vaughan’s residence. Vaughan texted Tilton, stating “Call me quickly handing (M.H.) to you.” Vaughan and Tilton continued communicating throughout the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “He’s got 2 guns.” A few hours later, Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “OK we’ve got both his guns put up,” and “Guns are secure I’m waiting for you.”
Tilton, Thomas, and Gibson arrived at Vaughan’s residence in the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. They bound M.H.’s hands with handcuffs, and duct tape was placed around his mouth and other parts of his body. Gibson, Thomas, and others assaulted M.H. for a period of time. M.H. was cut, beaten, and shot at. Gibson burned M.H. with a blowtorch. Tilton fatally shot M.H. in the head. Thomas and others cleaned up the blood and damage created during the assault and shooting of M.H. They wrapped M.H.’s body in plastic wrap and Thomas, Tilton, and Gibson transported it to Hurtt’s property.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hurtt’s property on July 28, 2020, based on information that a deceased body was located on the acreage. When officers attempted to contact the occupants of the residence, Tilton fired multiple shots from inside the residence at the officers. Tilton was apprehended.
Officers found M.H.’s body on the property. Officers searched the residence and found a Rigarmi .25-caliber pistol, an Ithaca .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .22-caliber rifle without a serial number, a Harrington and Richardson 12-gauge shotgun, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and a Taurus 9mm handgun without a serial number.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Thomas has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and prior felony convictions for forgery, possession of ephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, and distribution of a controlled substance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, and the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Marine at Fort Leonard Wood Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A U.S. Marine Corps private who was stationed for training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., has been sentenced in federal court for transporting child pornography across state lines.
Gevoni Rayon Brown, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, April 16, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Brown to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration and ordered Brown to pay $24,000 in restitution to eight victims of child pornography discovered on his cell phone. Brown will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On Sept. 21, 2023, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of transporting child pornography. Brown admitted that he exchanged sexually explicit videos with a 15-year-old female in California with whom he communicated via Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord. Brown was stationed in Florida at the time of these conversations, from March 4 to June 26, 2022, before being stationed in North Carolina.
Brown arrived at Fort Leonard Wood for training on Nov. 9, 2022.
On Dec. 14, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant on Brown’s barracks room and seized two cell phones, which contained child pornography. Brown admitted that he carried the cell phones with him on the plane when he traveled to Missouri.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Richmond, Calif., Police Department, and the Contra Costa County, Calif., District Attorney’s Office.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
KC Man Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm.
John A. Caylor, 55, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, April 16, to 13 years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On Sept. 20, 2023, Caylor pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Caylor admitted that he participated in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from Feb. 28, 2020, to Sept. 20, 2022.
Co-defendant Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, 42, a citizen of Mexico who illegally entered the United States, pleaded guilty on Sept. 20, 2023, to his role as the chief local operative of the drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl sourced from Mexico. Sanchez-Mendez managed the importation, processing, and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
During the conspiracy, Caylor sold methamphetamine and other illegal drugs to a confidential informant on eight separate occasions. Caylor was arrested when he met the confidential informant for a ninth transaction, at which time Caylor was in possession of approximately 29.8 grams of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officers searched Caylor’s hotel room and found a loaded Bersa .380-caliber handgun under a pillow on the bed, approximately 525.3 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Caylor is among 44 defendants charged in this case, and among seven defendants who have been sentenced. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled for Sanchez-Mendez.
On June 8, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led an operation that involved 140 officers and agents from 14 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. Officers made 34 arrests, executed 16 search warrants and seized 84.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4.5 kilograms of heroin, 10.4 kilograms of fentanyl, 7.6 kilograms of cocaine, 10.5 kilograms of marijuana, 687 Xanax pills, 3.1 kilograms of unknown pills, a quantity of bulk cash, five firearms, a 3D printer with manufactured ghost gun parts, and a liquid methamphetamine conversion lab.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Olmsted County, Minn., Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI, the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
Former KC Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Mo., man who moved to Mexico and lived under another name, pleaded guilty in federal court today to attempting to produce child pornography.
Wyatt Christopher Maxwell, also known as “Louis Whitaker,” 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to one count of attempting to produce child pornography.
Maxwell lived in Kansas City, Mo., at the time of the offense, but afterward moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he went by the name “Louis Whitaker” as a cabaret singer. He was arrested in Mexico following his indictment and has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
According to today’s plea agreement, the Overland Park, Kansas, Police Department received tips in February 2021, via the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers tipline, that Maxwell was producing child pornography with a 16-year-old resident of Overland Park. Maxwell reportedly uploaded the child pornography to various online accounts. The child victim told investigators that Maxwell had been recording sexually explicit videos of the two of them for several months. Some of the recordings were created at Maxwell’s residence and some were created in a nearby park.
Law enforcement agents interviewed Maxwell on Feb. 3, 2021. He confirmed he uploaded videos to his accounts on OnlyFans and JustForFans, for which he estimated he made from $3,000 to $10,000 per month from subscribers. Maxwell admitted he created approximately 20 videos where he was engaged in some type of sex act with the child victim. Those videos were uploaded to his OnlyFans and JustForFans accounts.
Investigators found 39 videos of child pornography that were downloaded on Maxwell’s cell phone, 96 videos of child pornography involving the child victim, and 24 images of child pornography involving the child victim.
Investigators confirmed payments from Maxwell’s OnlyFans account totaling $49,151, and from Maxwell’s JustForFans account totaling $2,954. There were 153 videos uploaded to the JustForFans account, 16 of which depicted sexual activity involving the child victim.
Under federal statutes, Maxwell is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former Federal Contract Employee Sentenced to 18 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Lenexa, Kansas, man was sentenced in federal court today after child pornography was found on the cell phone he carried into a secure area at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Security Campus in Kansas City, Mo.
Shaun Walker, 41, currently a resident of Springfield, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 18 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Walker to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration. Walker will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On Oct. 11, 2023, Walker pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet.
Walker was employed by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology, which is contracted by the Nuclear National Security Administration, at the time of the offense. Walker entered an inner secure area of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Kansas City National Security Campus with his personal cell phone on Nov. 29, 2021. Walker contacted Kansas City National Security Campus security to self-report the violation.
Walker gave his cell phone to security personnel, who reviewed the cell phone to determine if any classified material was present on the phone. During the review, a security officer observed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Walker’s phone was seized in order to conduct a forensic examination.
Investigators found an encrypted folder on Walker’s cell phone that contained 21 images and a video of a 5-year-old girl. Investigators found dozens of additional images and videos of child pornography on Walker’s cell phone. Investigators also found thousands of WhatsApp chats between Walker and females he contacted through a livestreaming pornography website. Walker requested photos and videos of nude underage females conducting sexual acts. As a result of his WhatsApp chats, Walker received and distributed images and videos of child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Neosho Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Kidnapping Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Neosho, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the torture and death of the victim, and for illegally possessing a firearm.
James B. Gibson, also known as “Gibby,” 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 30 years in federal prison without parole.
On April 18, 2023, Gibson pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to commit kidnapping and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Co-defendant Lawrence William Vaughan, also known as “Scary Larry,” 52, of Neosho, was sentenced on Nov. 7, 2013, to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
Four co-defendants also have pleaded guilty and await sentencing in this case. Russell Eugene Hurtt, also known as “Uncle,” 52, of Greenwood, Mo., is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, April 16. Amy Kay Thomas, 40, of Webb City, Mo., is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, April 18. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for Freddie Lewis Tilton, also known as “Ol’ Boy,” 51, and Carla Jo Ward, 49, both of Joplin, Mo.
Gibson admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to kidnap the victim, identified as “M.H.,” in July 2020. Tilton offered Ward and Vaughan $5,000 each to locate and secure M.H. for him. Ward picked up M.H., whom she knew was being sought by Tilton, and took him to Vaughan’s residence. Vaughan texted Tilton, stating “Call me quickly handing (M.H.) to you.” Vaughan and Tilton continued communicating throughout the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “He’s got 2 guns.” A few hours later, Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “OK we’ve got both his guns put up,” and “Guns are secure I’m waiting for you.”
Tilton, Thomas, and Gibson arrived at Vaughan’s residence in the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. They bound M.H.’s hands with handcuffs, and duct tape was placed around his mouth and other parts of his body. Gibson, Thomas, and others assaulted M.H. for a period of time. M.H. was cut, beaten, and shot at. Gibson admitted he burned M.H. with a blowtorch. Tilton fatally shot M.H. in the head. Gibson and others cleaned up the blood and damage created during the assault and shooting of M.H. They wrapped M.H.’s body in plastic wrap and Gibson transported it to Hurtt’s property.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hurtt’s property on July 28, 2020, based on information that a deceased body was located on the acreage. When officers attempted to contact the occupants of the residence, Tilton fired multiple shots from inside the residence at the officers. Tilton was apprehended.
Officers found M.H.’s body on the property. Officers searched the residence and found a Rigarmi .25-caliber pistol, an Ithaca .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .22-caliber rifle without a serial number, a Harrington and Richardson 12-gauge shotgun, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and a Taurus 9mm handgun without a serial number.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Gibson has two prior felony convictions for resisting arrest, two prior felony convictions for possessing a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for tampering, assault, and violence by an inmate against an employee of the Department of Corrections or to an inmate.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, and the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Walter Tyndal, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Tyndal was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. The court ordered this federal sentence to be served consecutively to any sentence for the revocation of his parole in an unrelated state case.
On Dec. 14, 2023, Tyndal pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Tyndal was arrested on an active warrant for a parole violation on Nov. 23, 2021. At the time of his arrest, Tyndal had a Bearman 9mm Derringer pistol in the back left pocket of his pants and a bag of marijuana in his front pocket.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Tyndal has three prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, three prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for stealing, two prior felony convictions for burglary, and a prior felony conviction for possessing marijuana in a correctional facility.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Belton, Raymore Brothers Plead Guilty to Drug-Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Cass County, Mo., brothers pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing firearms.
Serjio Diaz, 39, of Belton, and Tony Diaz, 41, of Raymore, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays. Serjio and Tony Diaz each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine; one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute; and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Tony Diaz also pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Serjio Diaz also pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering.
By pleading guilty today, Serjio and Tony Diaz both admitted to participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy with others that lasted from approximately January 1, 2019, until June 22, 2021.
On March 18, 2019, a federal agent interdicted and seized a package from Arizona that contained more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, which was addressed to Serjio Diaz’s residence. On the same day, a federal agent also interdicted and seized a package from Arizona that contained more than three kilograms of methamphetamine, which was addressed to Tony Diaz’s residence.
During the course of the investigation, investigators conducted 23 controlled transactions with Serjio and Tony Diaz. The transactions occurred between March 26, 2019, and May 26, 2021, and took place in Grandview, Belton, and Kansas City, Missouri. Over the course of these transactions, law enforcement purchased approximately 7,052.1 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 6,036.5 grams of heroin and approximately 468.6 grams of cocaine from Serjio DIAZ and/or his brother, Tony DIAZ, for approximately $243,900.
On June 22, 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Serjio and Tony Diaz. Following a search of Tony Diaz’s residence, officers found approximately 1,128 grams of heroin, approximately 28 grams of cocaine, a Zastava Arms 7.62x39mm semi-automatic rifle, a Romarm Cugir 7.62x39mm semi-automatic rifle, and $5,461 in cash in Tony Diaz’s bedroom. Officers also found a Remington Arms .22-caliber rifle in a shed. Following a search of Tony Diaz’s vehicles, officers located one pound of suspected marijuana in his Lincoln Navigator SUV, and a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol and approximately 3.4 grams of marijuana in his BMW X5. Following a search of Serjio Diaz’s residence, officers found approximately 8,942 grams of heroin, approximately 166 grams of cocaine, 6 bags of round, blue “M 30” pills containing fentanyl, with an approximate, cumulative weight of 78 grams, a metal hydraulic press, also known as a “Big Red”, an electronic scale, a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and $82,250 in cash.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Tony Diaz has a prior felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.
Co-defendant Maria Jasmin Lopez, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, also pleaded guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and was sentenced on Aug. 1, 2023, to 11 years and two months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Vicente Aguilera, 39, of Kansas City, Missouri pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
Under federal statutes, Serjio and Tony Diaz are each subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Jackson County Drug Task Force and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A man who was arrested in St. Joseph, Mo., with more than 11 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.
Mark Edmundson, 49, who has no known address, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Jan. 2, 2023, St. Joseph police officers located Edmundson at a gas station after receiving information from the Brown County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department that he had been involved in a shooting there. The officer initiated his emergency lights and stopped his patrol vehicle directly behind Edmundson’s SUV. The SUV then backed into the officer’s vehicle. At that point, the officer pushed the SUV up to the building with his patrol car to prevent its escape. Edmundson stepped out of his vehicle and was arrested.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found 25 vacuum-sealed bags that contained a total of nearly nine kilograms of methamphetamine in the back seat. Under the hood, officers found two more bags that contained approximately 901 grams of methamphetamine.
Officers also found an SCCY 9mm handgun between the center console and the front passenger seat. They found a Ruger 9mm handgun and two zip-lock bags that contained approximately 681 grams of methamphetamine in the back trunk section of the SUV.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Edmundson has prior felony convictions for delivering a controlled substance, tampering with a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Under federal statutes, Edmundson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson. It was investigated by the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Lee’s Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography, Sextortion SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to a sextortion scheme in which he threatened victims, including minors, to extort them into sending him pornographic images and videos of themselves.
Marek Redding, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two counts of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, and one count of extortion. Redding has been detained since his arrest and remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing.
Redding, using fake female personas on a social media application, received nude photographs from multiple females, including minors, which he sold or offered to sell to others. According to court documents, some victims reported that Redding threatened to distribute or publicly post their images if they did not continue sending nude images, some of which constituted child pornography.
By pleading guilty today, Redding admitted that he induced two minor victims to produce child pornography in January 2022 and March 2022, and that he distributed the child pornography. Redding also admitted that he transmitted threats to injure the reputation of an adult victim in April 2022 in order to obtain more photographs from the victim.
According to court documents, the adult victim told investigators she had sent nude images to Redding. When she attempted to stop, Redding threatened to disclose her images to her family, school, and employer.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Redding and the government jointly request the court to impose a total sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department, the Olathe, Kan., Police Department, and the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Mississippi Man Sentenced for Luring Columbia Teen for Illicit SexRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Bay Springs, Mississippi, man was sentenced in federal court today for luring a 16-year-old victim in Columbia, Mo., to meet him at a hotel for illicit sexual activity.
Zachary Wes Buckley, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 16 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 7, 2023, Buckley pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Buckley admitted that he traveled to Columbia and rented a room at a local hotel, where he had sex with the child victim.
Buckley and the child victim began communicating in an online chat room in January 2023 then moved their conversations to GoogleChat. The chats, which included sexually explicit conversations, photos and videocams, led to plans to meet in person. Buckley traveled to Columbia on Jan. 30, 2023, and met the child victim at a local park. He then drove to a Columbia hotel, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the child.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Jasper County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
KCK Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm after leading police officers on a high-speed chase.
Joshua L. Alley, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to twenty-one years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 30, 2023, Alley pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon and an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Independence, Mo., police officers located a stolen 2013 Hyundai Accent parked at a local convenience store on May 18, 2023. They maintained surveillance of the vehicle until Alley came out of the store and got into the driver’s seat.
Despite the deployment of pursuit termination devices, Alley led police officers on a high-speed chase. Alley drove through a line of trees and drove the vehicle down the embankment of a small creek, disabling the vehicle. Alley climbed out of the driver’s side window of the vehicle, which was still running and in drive. The vehicle was lying vertically in the creek bed. Alley fled on foot through the woods, discarding a bag of methamphetamine as he ran, but was taken into custody.
Officers recovered the bag that had been discarded by Alley, which contained 84.8 grams of methamphetamine. An officer returned to the car, where he found a loaded Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger magazine that contained five rounds of hollow point ammunition.
Alley admitted that he used methamphetamine a couple of times a day, and that he had been using methamphetamine for the past six months.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Alley has four prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, three prior felony convictions for burglary, and prior felony convictions for robbery, stealing, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, assault, domestic assault,
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former Jail Corrections Officer, Wife Sentenced for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A former corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center and his wife were sentenced in federal court today to charges related to video recording their sexual assault of a 4-year-old victim.
Paul Emerson Schofield, 35, and his wife, Sara Ellen Schofield, 31, both of Jefferson City, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Paul Schofield was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison without parole. Sara Schofield was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced the Schofields to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release following incarceration.
On Nov. 7, 2023, the Schofields each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of producing child pornography. The Schofields, who have been in federal custody without bond since their arrests in 2022, admitted they participated in a conspiracy to produce child pornography over a nearly three-year period from July 29, 2019, to June 7, 2022. A 4-year-old victim was used to produce child pornography.
The investigation began when law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022. Kik, a free online social media platform, reported that a user later identified as Paul Schofield had uploaded multiple videos of child sexual exploitation material.
Paul Schofield was active in the child pornography trading community. Multiple Kik chats were located in which he was distributing and receiving child pornography and discussing child molestation.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Schofields’ residence on June 7, 2022. A forensic examiner conducted a preview of Paul Schofield’s cell phone and located several videos of child pornography, including infants engaged in sexual contact with adults. Examiners later found videos on the phone of both Paul and Sara Schofield sexually assaulting an unconscious 4-year-old victim.
On June 9, 2022, law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at the Schofields’ residence. Officers seized Sara Schofield’s cell phone, which contained another sexually explicit video of the same 4-year-old victim in which the voices of Paul and Sara Schofield can be heard.
At the time of the offense, Paul Schofield was employed as a corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Jefferson City.
The Schofields will be required to register as a sex offenders upon their release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout their life.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force and the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Chamois Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Dylan Joseph Minor, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Minor will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On July 20, 2023, Minor pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
A detective with the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received a Cybertip from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Oct. 14, 2022. The Cybertip indicated that a Kik user, later identified as Minor, had uploaded multiple images and/or videos of suspected child pornography.
On Oct. 17, 2022, the detective executed a search warrant at Minor’s residence. Minor admitted that he had taken pornographic photos of the child victim and traded them with others on the Kik application. The detective analyzed two cell phones seized from Minor and found thousands of images and more than 100 videos depicting child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Another Co-founder of Medical Charity in St. Joseph Pleads Guilty to $8 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Another co-founder of a so-called Christian health care sharing ministry in St. Joseph, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in an $8 million wire fraud conspiracy that cheated hundreds of members, and to making false statements on a personal tax return.
James L. McGinnis, 77, of St. Joseph, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making false statements on a tax return.
McGinnis co-founded Medical Cost Sharing, a tax-exempt organization, and served as its chief operating officer from 2014 through December 2022.
Craig Anthony Reynolds, 62, of St. Joseph, another co-founder of Medical Cost Sharing, pleaded guilty to the same charges in a separate but related case on Nov. 14, 2023. Reynolds incorporated and ran Medical Cost Sharing as its president and chief executive officer from 2014 through December 2022.
McGinnis and Reynolds each admitted that he and his co-conspirators used false and fraudulent promises to market Medical Cost Sharing as a “Health Care Sharing Ministry” to defraud hundreds of “ministry members.” They collected more than $8 million in member “contributions,” yet paid only 3.1 percent in health care claims so that they could personally profit and take most of the members’ contributions for themselves.
McGinnis and Reynolds pocketed at least $5,168,268 from the member contributions from December 2015 through December 2022. Thus, McGinnis and Reynolds took at least 64 percent of total member contributions for their personal profit.
McGinnis and Reynolds marketed Medical Cost Sharing as a “Christian Health Care Sharing Ministry” through insurance brokers, radio stations, social media, and its website. Medical Cost Sharing sales materials promoted its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation, advertising that it was different from for profit health insurance. The Medical Cost Sharing website claimed, “while we are not an insurance company, many think of us as a Christian Health Insurance, or Christian Medical Insurance because, like conventional insurance plans, we help you pay your healthcare costs. We help you protect your family. But unlike these corporate, profit based plans, we are a healthcare sharing ministry … your healthcare costs are shared with other Christians enrolled in our medical sharing plans.”
Medical Cost Sharing promised its member that if they paid monthly “contributions,” Medical Cost Sharing would pay claims after the members’ “personal responsibility” (deductible) was met.
In reality, McGinnis and Reynolds admitted, Medical Cost Sharing rarely paid members’ health care claims. Sometimes Medical Cost Sharing would pay a part of a claim if the member filed a complaint with their state attorney general and/or hired an attorney to represent them against Medical Cost Sharing.
Medical Cost Sharing paid no claims at all from Feb. 22, 2021, through December 2022, although it collected a total of nearly $1.2 million in dues in 2021 and 2022.
On Dec. 13, 2022, federal agents served search warrants on the Medical Cost Sharing business location and the residences of McGinnis and Reynolds and seized property generated from Medical Cost Sharing proceeds. Medical Cost Sharing continued to try to collect membership dues after the search and seizure warrants. On Dec. 27, 2022, the court entered a temporary restraining order that prohibited Medical Cost Sharing, McGinnis, and Reynolds, from continuing to perpetrate a fraudulent scheme and from processing Medical Cost Sharing member payments, among other actions.
In addition to the wire fraud conspiracy, McGinnis also pleaded guilty today to making false statements on a personal tax return. McGinnis admitted that he filed a return that claimed he had no taxable income in 2019. Reynolds actually received at least $140,881 in taxable income in 2019.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, McGinnis must pay restitution to Medical Cost Sharing member victims and to the IRS. McGinnis also must forfeit to the government any property obtained from the wire fraud conspiracy and a money judgment representing all proceeds obtained from the scheme.
Under federal statutes, McGinnis is subject to a sentence of up to 23 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen D. Mahoney, Patrick Daly, and John Constance. It was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
FBI Website for Victims of Medical Cost Sharing Fraud
Those who believe they are victims of this fraud and wish to receive restitution for any losses suffered as a result may provide their information through the MCS Victim Information Page that has been established by the FBI.
https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/mcs-victim-information-page
Independence Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court after law enforcement officers seized 22 firearms and a large quantity of a variety of illegal drugs from his residence and his two campers in Bagnell, Mo.
Jonathan P. Henik, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Wednesday, April 3, to two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possessing THC with the intent to distribute, two counts of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Independence police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop while Henik, whose driver’s license was revoked, was driving a Dodge Charger on Sept. 1, 2021. However, as officers attempted to contact him after he pulled to the side of the road, Henik accelerated at a high rate of speed and fled the area.
On Oct. 5, 2021, officers executed a search warrant at Henik’s residence. Investigators found 11 firearms in Henik’s bedroom, including two Taurus .45-caliber firearms, a Glock 9mm semi-automatic firearm, a Glock .40-caliber firearm, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber firearm, a Colt .45-caliber firearm, a CZ 9mm firearm, a Diamond Back .223-caliber firearm, a Freedom Ordnance 9mm firearm, an ATI OMNI .223-caliber firearm, and a KEL-TEC 9mm firearm.
Officers also found two jars of THC wax and drug paraphernalia in the kitchen. Officers found a black duffel bag that contained a Palmetto 7.62 x 39mm firearm, several rounds of ammunition, 105 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in a closet near the front door.
In the garage, officers found six more firearms, including a Glock .40-caliber firearm, two Glock 9mm firearms, a Sig Sauer 9mm firearm, an SCCY 9mm firearm, a Ruger 9mm firearm, a 9mm extended magazine, a 7.62x39 magazine, and two 9mm magazines. Officers also found 928 grams of methamphetamine, a container of approximately 8.6 kilograms of THC edibles, numerous heat-sealed bags that contained a total of approximately 8.6 kilograms of marijuana, a bag that contained approximately 510.8 grams of marijuana, a bag that contained approximately 166 grams of marijuana, a bag that contained approximately four grams of psilocybin mushrooms, several prescription medications, approximately 40 pills of suspected MDMA (ecstasy), and a bag that contained approximately four grams of THC edibles.
On Aug. 2, 2023, Henik was arrested on a federal warrant related to the original indictment in this case following law enforcement surveillance at his Sandpiper and Catalina campers parked in Bagnell, Mo.
Officers searched the campers and found two firearms on the table in the living room of the Cataline camper, a loaded Browning Arms Company .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a silencer (which was not registered) and a loaded Polymer80 9mm semi-automatic firearm with no markings. In the Sandpiper camper, officers found a large bag of apparent marijuana on the table. In a black bag in the living room, they found multiple bags of apparent marijuana and a plastic bag that contained approximately 145 grams of cocaine. On a dresser in the bedroom, officers found a gun case that contained magazine and live ammunition, seven explosive devices, and approximately four grams of psilocybin mushrooms. In the dresser, officers found approximately 60 grams of methamphetamine.
The total amount of marijuana recovered was approximately 1,723 grams (3.8 pounds).
Officers also searched Henik’s Lincoln SUV and found a loaded Heckler & Koch 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the driver’s side floorboard, a loaded FMK 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a YETI cup that contained three different types of pills, $662 in cash in the center console, and a large bag of apparent marijuana in the back hatch.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Henik has prior federal felony convictions for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and use of a firearm in connection with a drug offense.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Henik and the government jointly request the court to impose a sentence of between 15 and 20 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Mid Missouri Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Mexican National Indicted or Heroin Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury after police officers found almost six kilograms of suspected heroin in a trash bag he discarded following a traffic accident.
Luis Ponce-Lopez, 26, a citizen of Mexico, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, April 2. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Ponce-Lopez on March 26, 2024.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Ponce-Lopez was driving a black 2013 Ford F350 pickup truck when he was involved in a traffic accident on March 24, 2024. Witnesses told police officers they saw Ponce-Lopez get out of his truck after the collision, carry a black trash bag, dump it in a nearby field, and return to his truck. Officers found the trash bag, which contained several packages wrapped in black paper, a silver thermos, and two clear tubs. Four of the containers were tested and found to contain a total of nearly three kilograms of heroin. The total amount of suspected heroin in all of the containers weighed more than 5.7 kilograms.
Officers searched the pickup truck following Ponce-Lopez’s arrest and found a Dan Wesson 10mm semi-automatic handgun.
The federal indictment charges Ponce-Lopez with one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon E. Gibson. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Mexican National Sentenced to 20 Years After Officers Seize 144 Pounds of Meth Hidden in Car TiresRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today after law enforcement officers seized 144 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside automobile wheels in his shed.
Jorge A. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 42, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 30, 2023, Rodriguez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
A confidential source told Independence, Mo., police detectives that he/she purchased methamphetamine from Rodriguez-Gonzalez. On Oct. 11, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rodriguez-Gonzalez’s residence. Officers seized an H&R Pardner Pump 20-gauge shotgun and a TGI Knox 7.62x39-caliber AK-style rifle from the bedroom.
Inside a detached shed, officers found a set of four Toyota wheels and tires. Because the tires seemed extremely heavy, detectives cut one open and found a metal compartment attached to the inside of the wheel. The metal compartment was then cut open and found to contain methamphetamine.
Each wheel and tire was dismantled by investigators, who found methamphetamine inside each of the four tires. Investigators found a total of 144 pounds of methamphetamine in the four tires.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Jefferson City Man Pleads Guilty to $12 Million Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Jefferson City, Mo. man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a $12.4 million bank fraud scheme that included fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for four businesses.
Tod Ray Keilholz, 61, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah W. Hays on Thursday, March 28, to one count of bank fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Keilholz was the sole owner of TRK Construction, LLC, TRK Valpo, LLC, TL Builders, LLC, and Project Design, LLC.
By pleading guilty, Keilholz admitted that he engaged in a bank fraud scheme from Jan. 1, 2018, to Jan. 7, 2021.
Prior to the bank fraud scheme, Keilholz obtained three business loans totaling $3,526,771 from Hawthorn Bank between Aug. 31, 2017, and Sept. 21, 2018. One of these loans financed the purchase of property in Valparaiso, Indiana. As Keilholz’s businesses failed, these loans fell into default and sub-contractors sued him for unpaid invoices during 2019 and 2020. In February 2020, Hawthorn Bank initiated foreclosure proceedings. Keilholz delayed the foreclosure proceedings and paid off these loans and other past due debts with fraudulent PPP loans.
The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the PPP authorized forgivable loans, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.
Keilholz received a total of $12,430,932 in PPP loans for his four businesses. In each of those loan applications, Keilholz admitted, he failed to disclose his ownership in the other three businesses, and made materially false and fraudulent claims in the loan applications and supporting documentation. Keilholz falsely stated the businesses were in operation on Feb. 15, 2020, and eligible for PPP loans. He inflated the income of those businesses and claimed payrolls for employees who did not exist or no longer worked for him. Additionally, Keilholz applied for a $7,818,705 PPP loan for TRK Valpo but the loan was denied by the bank.
Keilholz received a $1,706,260 PPP loan for TRK Construction, a $3,618,815 PPP loan for TL Builders, a $3,903,857 PPP loan for Project Design, and a $3,202,000 PPP loan for TRK Valpo.
Keilholz admitted that he used PPP loan proceeds for unauthorized purposes other than legitimate payroll, lease and mortgage interest, and utilities as required by the PPP. Keilholz, through TRK Construction, had accrued substantial and delinquent indebtedness to a number of lenders, and all or part of these debts were satisfied by PPP loan proceeds.
The conviction for aggravated identity theft is related to Keilholz’s use of a former TRK Construction employee whose name and Social Security number were used without his knowledge or authoritization on wage reports in connection with a fraudulent PPP loan application for TRK Valpo.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Keilholz must forfeit to the government any property involved in, or derived from the proceeds of his bank fraud scheme, including a money judgment of $12,430,932, two properties in Jefferson City, one property in Valparaiso, one property in La Porte, Ind., four vehicles (a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, two 2021 Chevrolet Silverados, and a 2019 BMW X5), a 2020 John Deer ZTrak, a 2020 John Deere Tractor, a Kubota Compact Track Loader, a Gents 43mm IWC Schaffhausen Perpetual Chronograph wristwatch, two Gents stainless steel Rolex Sea-Dweller self-winding automatic diver’s watches, and a Gents Citizen Eco-Drive Radio-controlled world time self-winding automatic watch with sapphire crystal.
Under federal statutes, Keilholz is subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole, plus a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Inspector General; the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General; the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; the FBI; and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Russian National Sentenced to 15 Years for $11 Million Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Russian national was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to use stolen identities to file thousands of federal income tax returns that claimed more than $11 million in fraudulent refunds.
Anton Vikharev, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Vikharev to pay $2,020,569 in restitution and to forfeit to the government $537,000.
On July 26, 2023, Vikharev pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Vikharev admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States by filing false and fraudulent federal income tax returns using stolen identities from January 2015 through March 1, 2018.
In this scheme, 7,167 false and fraudulent tax returns were filed for tax years 2011- 2016. The returns, which used the stolen names and Social Security numbers of other people, claimed $11,178,361 in fraudulent refunds. The Internal Revenue Service actually paid at least $2,020,569 in fraudulent tax refunds.
Fraudulent refunds were deposited into bank accounts the conspirators controlled. Vikharev’s role in the conspiracy was to withdraw fraudulent tax refunds from bank ATMs in cash, launder the cash through gold purchases and through high volume cash deposits into other accounts, and send the stolen money to Russia via wire transfers. Conspirators bought gold bullion with some of the proceeds. After the proceeds were laundered, conspirators wired at least $1,411,082 to accounts in Russia. Vikharev personally received $156,120 in proceeds wired to Russian bank accounts in his control.
Vikharev laundered some of the proceeds from the fraud conspiracy by purchasing a total of $537,000 in gold, some of which was sold with the proceeds wired to co-conspirators in Russia, which is the basis for the forfeiture money judgment.
Vikharev left the United States in early July 2017. He exited the United States at the southern border into Mexico. From Mexico, Vikharev flew to Cuba and then to Russia. On June 4, 2021, Vikharev was arrested in Toronto, Canada. Vikharev was detained in custody while he litigated extradition to the United States for approximately two years.
According to court documents, Vikharev, a Russian citizen, originally came to the United States on June 12, 2012, on a student visa that expired on Sept. 9, 2012. Vikharev stayed illegally in the United States for five more years. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Vikharev agreed to a judicial order of removal from the United States following incarceration.
Two co-defendants in this case are last known to be in Russia, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations.
KC Man Sentenced for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who boasted about having associates selling cocaine in several local bars and nightclubs was sentenced in federal court today for distributing cocaine.
Manuel A. Contreras, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Contreras to forfeit to the government $40,600, which represents the proceeds of his illegal cocaine trafficking.
On Oct. 26, 2023, Contreras pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing cocaine. According to his plea agreement, Contreras sold more than a kilogram of cocaine to an FBI confidential source over five separate occasions in 2022, for a total of $40,600.
On Oct. 14, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Contreras’s residence. Officers found a loaded SCCY 9mm semi-automatic handgun, 196.7 grams of cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and $2,526 in cash in his bedroom.
According to court documents, Contreras told the confidential source that he had people who sell cocaine for him at several bars and nightclubs in the Kansas City area.
Contreras also told the confidential source that he had done business with another defendant who was indicted in a separate and unrelated drug-trafficking case. Contreras said he had taken that person’s BMW i8 for a period of time for a drug debt, only returning the car when he was paid $15,000, and that he had taken guns and drugs from this person because he owed Contreras approximately $28,000.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the FBI.
KC Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud, False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., tax preparer pleaded guilty in federal court today to a wire fraud scheme in which he filed federal income tax returns for his clients that contained false information.
Ebens Louis-Loradin, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of wire fraud and 10 counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns.
Louis-Loradin, who has been a tax preparer since 2012, admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud the IRS and obtain money by preparing and electronically filing federal tax returns containing false items over a six-year period from March 20, 2013, to April 14, 2019. Louis-Loradin claimed items on his clients’ federal tax returns that his clients were not entitled to claim, including dependents, inflated income tax withholding amounts, credits for child and dependent care expenses, American opportunity credits, earned income credits, itemized deductions, and business losses. These false claims had the effect of reducing his clients’ taxable income and increasing his clients’ tax credit eligibility.
Under federal statutes, Louis-Loradin is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for his conviction of wire fraud and up to three years in federal prison without parole for his conviction on each of the 10 counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on Aug. 1, 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas P. Heberle. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations.
Justice Department Sues Missouri Landlord for Sexually Harassing TenantsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Jimmie Bell, a landlord in Springfield, Missouri, for sexually harassing female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Bell has managed over 100 residential rental properties in and around Springfield.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges that Bell subjected multiple female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual advances, offering to reduce rent or make needed repairs in exchange for engaging in sex acts, subjecting female tenants to unwelcome sexual touching and initiating eviction actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“No one should ever be subjected to sexual harassment and degradation simply to keep a roof over their head,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual harassment in residential settings is uniquely abhorrent because one’s home should be a place of refuge. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act’s protections against sexual harassment and holding landlords and housing providers accountable when they engage in this abhorrent conduct.”
“This Springfield landlord repeatedly took advantage of his tenants by using his position as leverage to egregiously violate their civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. “Today’s lawsuit illustrates the determination of the Justice Department to protect victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination and to hold their abusers accountable.”
“This landlord’s sexual harassment is a gross violation of his position and of the Fair Housing Act,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “People deserve to be safe in their homes.”
The matter was referred to the Justice Department after HUD received a complaint alleging that Bell had violated the FHA by sexually harassing a female tenant and retaliating against her when she rejected his sexual advances. Bell chose to have the matter decided in federal court after HUD investigated the complaint and issued a charge of discrimination. Upon receiving the referral, the Justice Department investigated further and identified additional female tenants whom Bell sexually harassed.
The department’s lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination. The lawsuit names Jimmie Bell as a defendant in his individual capacity and as trustee of Second Bell Trust, the owner of many of the properties Bell managed. The lawsuit also names as defendant Fourth Bell LLC, the owner of additional properties Bell managed.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental properties owned or managed by Jimmie Bell, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, may contact the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291. Dial “1” for English, “2” for sexual harassment cases, and “3” for the Jimmie Bell lawsuit mailbox. Individuals may also email the Justice Department at [email protected].
The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 40 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $12 million for victims of such harassment.
The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
KC Man Charged After Officers Seize 59 Firearms, Including Machine Guns, and Illegal Drugs from ResidenceRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was charged in federal court today after law enforcement officers found 59 firearms, including machine guns, along with illegal drugs during a search of his residence.
Roberto Rosales Gonzales, 23, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Gonzales remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.
On Thursday, March 21, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzales’s residence. During the search of the residence, officers found 59 firearms of various calibers, including two machine guns, assorted ammunition, a firearm silencer, and an inert hand grenade. Officers also found approximately 114.1 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, approximately 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 31.4 grams of suspected heroin, and more than $22,000 in cash.
The two machine guns, which were loaded, were identified as a Glock .40-caliber pistol and a Glock 17 9x19mm pistol, each of which contained a switch to convert it into a machine gun.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an undercover law enforcement operation made several purchases of illegal drugs and firearms from Gonzales prior to the execution of the search warrant.
Following the transactions, the affidavit says, investigators learned that a pistol and a rifle sold by Gonzales had been reported stolen. A National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) evaluation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives indicates that the rifle was a match to shell casings recovered from two shootings.
Today’s criminal complaint charges Gonzales with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms, including machine guns, in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of illegally possessing machine guns.
The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
National Integrated Ballistic Information Network
This investigation involved leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
Jury Convicts KC Man of Heroin Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today of his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and of illegally possessing firearms.
Edgar A. Mejia, 49, was found guilty by a jury of one count each of conspiracy to distribute heroin and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
On Oct. 10, 2022, law enforcement officers searched a 2000 Coachman recreational vehicle that belonged to Mejia. At the time of the search, Mejia was in custody in Oklahoma following his arrest for drug trafficking. Investigators in Oklahoma received information that Mejia had additional drugs and firearms hidden in his Coachman RV, and notified local authorities.
Officers located Mejia’s RV parked next to an abandoned residence in the 2300 block of Drury Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. Investigators searched the RV and found, hidden behind a wall in the kitchen, 541 grams of heroin, a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic handgun, an American Tactical AR-15-style rifle, and ammunition.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately three and a half hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Wednesday, March 20.
Mejia previously pleaded guilty to one count of possessing the heroin inside the RV with the intent to distribute it and one count of being a felon in possession of the firearms recovered from the RV.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Mejia has two prior state felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and prior federal felony convictions for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Under federal statutes, Mejia is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum sentence the court could impose is life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Robert M. Smith and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force; the District Attorney’s Task Force for the 13th Judicial District in Ottawa and Delaware Counties, Oklahoma; Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police Department, Wyandotte, Oklahoma; the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
KC Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing large quantities of methamphetamine to distribute following the seizure of 700 kilograms of methamphetamine that was hidden in a box trailer and disguised as spray foam insulation.
Nora Linda Ochoa-Chavez, 44, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of aiding and abetting the possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Co-defendant Rafael Valencia-Galaviz, 43, also a citizen of Mexico residing at the same residence, pleaded guilty on May 24, 2023, to the same charge. Valencia-Galaviz also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations contacted the co-defendants at their residence on Oct. 20, 2021, following the large seizure of methamphetamine that was identified at a Laredo, Texas, port of entry and subsequently seized in Kansas City, Kan. Valencia-Galaviz was renting a room with his girlfriend in Ochoa-Chavez’s residence.
Federal agents located Valencia-Galaviz in a bedroom, where they found a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber firearm under a mattress, two vacuum-sealed packages that contained nearly a kilogram of marijuana, and a backpack that contained an undetermined amount of cash. HSI agents also found a Remington .22-caliber rifle with no visible serial number and a Springfield Armory 9mm firearm in the upstairs loft area.
Agents also searched Ochoa-Chavez’s Dodge Caravan, which was parked in the rear of her residence. They found a total of 68 gallon-sized zipper style bags that contained a total of 66.8 kilograms of methamphetamine. Agents also found a Taurus .380-caliber firearm, a US Auto Weapons 5.56-caliber rifle with a loaded 60-round drum magazine, two Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 rifles, a Heckler and Koch .22-caliber rifle, and an Intratec 9mm handgun.
Valencia-Galaviz told investigators he picked up 50 kilograms of methamphetamine two or three days prior to his arrest, and there were approximately 18 kilograms in the van that were left over from an 80-kilogram load he had picked up approximately two to three weeks prior to his arrest.
Prior to this search and arrest, on July 12, 2021, investigators established surveillance on a tractor trailer parked at a truck stop in Olathe, Kansas. Ochoa-Chavez met with the driver of the tractor trailer and handed him a brown paper bag that contained $30,000 in cash. When agents seized the tractor trailer and searched it, they found approximately 700 kilograms of methamphetamine that was hidden within and disguised as spray foam insulation for the box trailer.
Under federal statutes, Ochoa-Chavez is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. Valencia-Galaviz is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Three KC Men Charged with Illegal Firearms Trafficking, Straw Purchases Related to Investigation of Mass Shooting at Super Bowl RallyRead the Press Release
A video statement from U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore is available on the district's YouTube channel
This press release has been updated in accordance with Justice Department policy.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Kansas City, Mo., men have been charged in federal court for illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchases of firearms as a result of the investigation into the mass shooting at Union Station during the celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory on Feb. 14, 2024.
“These cases underscore the importance of enforcing federal firearms laws,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “Stopping straw buyers and preventing illegal firearms trafficking is our first line of defense against gun violence. At least two of the firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station were illegally purchased or trafficked. We work diligently with our law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals by investigating and prosecuting those who illegally buy and sell dangerous weapons.”
“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has given ATF additional tools needed to go after straw purchasers and firearms traffickers who flood our streets with weapons that pose a threat to every single person in Kansas City,” said ATF Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen. “These arrests serve as a notice to those who think they can illegally traffic guns into our communities or straw purchase firearms. The men and women of ATF will never waiver on our commitment to protect the public and to aggressively target firearms traffickers. The proliferation of illegal guns represents a grave danger to the public, but law enforcement is united and strong. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and all our law enforcement partners for their diligent work and tireless dedication to our shared public safety mission.”
“While the events of February 14th will forever weigh heavy on our hearts, the effort of our federal partners and KCPD detectives is a testament to their service to Kansas City,” said Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves. “We will continue to hold those responsible for violence in our city accountable.”
One person was killed and more than 20 people were injured in the mass shooting at Union Station. According to court documents, 12 individuals brandished firearms and at least six individuals fired their weapons. The Kansas City, Mo., Police Department recovered several firearms, spent shell casings, and other items of evidentiary value from the scene.
Two Firearms Recovered from Scene of Mass Shooting
Two firearms recovered from the scene of the mass shooting are cited in two separate federal criminal complaints filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, March 11. Those complaints were unsealed and made public today following the arrests of the defendants.
Fedo Antonia Manning, 22, was charged in a 12-count criminal complaint. Ronnel Dewayne Williams, Jr., 21, and Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, 19, were charged in a four-count federal criminal complaint.
One of the firearms recovered from the scene of the shooting was an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 .223-caliber pistol. The loaded pistol was found along the wall with a backpack next to two AR-15-style firearms and backpacks. Because the pistol was in “fire” position and there were 26 live rounds in the magazine, which is capable of holding 30 rounds, it may have fired several rounds before it was discarded.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, the AM-15 pistol was purchased by Manning from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Lee’s Summit, Mo., on Aug. 7, 2022. The affidavit alleges that Manning illegally trafficked dozens of firearms, including many Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearms.
The second firearm recovered from the scene of the mass shooting was a Stag Arms 300-caliber pistol. According to an affidavit filed in the second federal criminal complaint, the pistol was purchased by Williams during a gun show on Nov. 25, 2023. Williams allegedly purchased the firearm for Groves, who accompanied him to the gun show but was too young to legally purchase the firearm himself.
The federal criminal complaints do not make any allegations that Manning, Williams, or Groves were among the shooters at Union Station on Feb. 14, 2024. Rather, the federal charges involve the illegal straw purchases and trafficking of firearms.
Manning and Williams are alleged to have purchased firearm receivers, or frames, which house the firing mechanism and other internal parts of a firearm. The receiver can be loaded and fired, or built into a complete firearm by adding components that may not be regulated under federal law. By federal definition, a receiver is a firearm and is the only controlled component of a firearm.
USA v. Manning
Manning, who is not a licensed federal firearms dealer, allegedly purchased dozens of firearms. Fifteen of the firearms originally purchased by Manning were recovered by law enforcement officers in the possession of individuals other than Manning, including several individuals who were legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
The firearm recovered from the scene of the mass shooting at Union Station is one of seven firearms originally purchased by Manning that have been recovered during investigations of crimes. According to the affidavit, Manning purchased two Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 pistols from a federally licensed firearms dealer on Aug. 7, 2022. In addition to the firearm recovered at Union Station, the second firearm purchased by Manning that day was later recovered from a stolen vehicle during the investigation of an armed robbery. Firearms also were recovered during investigations into a murder in Columbia, Mo., and the armed robbery of a local convenience store. Three firearms originally purchased by Manning were recovered by law enforcement from individuals who were prohibited from legally possessing firearms.
Manning also allegedly was the straw purchaser of seven firearms that were later sold to a confidential informant during a separate federal criminal investigation. The confidential informant, who was known to be a felon and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms, purchased a total of 27 firearms from two of Manning’s family members and their co-conspirators, who have been indicted in a separate federal case. In addition to those seven firearms, says the affidavit, federal investigators traced Manning’s purchase of 40 firearms over a nine-month period, including 33 Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearms, all of which were purchased as receivers.
The federal criminal complaint charges Manning with one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms, one count of engaging in firearm sales without a license, and 10 counts of making a false statement on a federal form. In each of these 10 purchases, Manning represented that he was the actual buyer of the firearm, but in fact these firearms were transferred to other persons shortly after he purchased them.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
USA v. Williams, et al
The federal criminal complaint charges Williams and Groves together in one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the acquisition of firearms and in one count of aiding and abetting making false statements in the acquisition of firearms. Williams and Groves are each charged separately in one count each of making a false statement to a federal agent.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Williams and Groves attended a gun show on Nov. 25, 2023, looking for receivers to buy. Groves, who was under the age of 21 and therefore too young to legally purchase a firearm receiver, allegedly gave money to Williams. Williams allegedly purchased the Stag Arms receiver for Groves.
Groves told investigators he purchased a 300-blackout upper to complete the firearm at another gun show about a month later. Groves also claimed the Stag Arms firearm was stolen during a “shootout.” Rather than report the firearm stolen, Groves said he just went to a gun show with a different friend who bought him another one. Groves showed investigators a video on his cell phone that included the firearm. According to the affidavit, the cell phone video showed an AR pistol lying on a flat surface, then panned out to show five other handguns.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The charges contained in these complaints are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Stanberry Man Indicted for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Stanberry, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally possessing an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.
Erin L. Graves, 44, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Graves was in possession of a Remington 20-gauge shotgun, which had a barrel of less than 18 inches in length, on Jan. 15, 2024. Graves is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing an unregistered firearm.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Graves has five prior felony convictions for stealing, two prior felony convictions for driving while suspended or revoked, two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, two prior felony convictions for burglary, and prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Gentry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, and the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Fort Leonard Wood Pharmacist Sentenced for Knife AttackRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A civilian pharmacist at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for attempting to murder his supervisor with a knife and stabbing him multiple times.
Robert E. Sapp, 65, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.
On May 1, 2023, Sapp pleaded guilty to one count of assault with intent to commit murder.
Sapp was working at a dispensing window at the Post Exchange Pharmacy at Fort Leonard Wood on Dec. 3, 2021, when he was approached by the supervisory pharmacist who suggested they have a conversation in another area of the pharmacy. Video footage depicts Sapp reaching into his front right pocket, pulling out a knife, and opening the blade. Sapp held the knife behind his back as he approached the supervisor in another area of the pharmacy. Sapp lunged toward the supervisor with the knife, knocked him to the ground, and continued stabbing at his face and head. Another pharmacy employee interrupted the attack. Sapp put the knife in his pocket and left the pharmacy.
Military Police Service activated an installation shut down, and Sapp was detained while attempting to leave in his vehicle. An MP who arrested Sapp after extracting him from his vehicle found a knife, which had hair and blood on it, in his pocket. There was blood on Sapp’s clothing. The vehicle also had blood on the interior of the driver’s side door.
The victim of the stabbing was transported to the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital. Medical personal reported he had multiple stab wounds, including at least two stab wounds to his head.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ami Harshad Miller and Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
KC Woman Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Two Child VictimsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to the sexual exploitation of two child victims.
Jessica Ann Young, 33, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Her husband, Houston Wade Young, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor on Jan. 30, 2024.
According to today’s plea agreement, Houston Young, while detained at the Vernon County, Mo., jail on March 5, 2020, was found to be in possession of a cell phone that contained images of child pornography. On March 7, 2020, law enforcement officers received information that Jessica Young had sent pornographic images of a 7-year-old child (identified in court documents as “John Doe 1”) to Houston Young’s cell phone.
Investigators found text messages on the cell phone between Jessica and Houston Young that discussed sexually abusing John Doe 1. During the text messages, Jessica Young sent Houston Young two pornographic images of John Doe 1. Multiple other images of child pornography sent by Jessica Young also were found on Houston Young’s cell phone.
Jessica Young admitted she had sexually abused two child victims, John Doe 1 and 13-year-old John Doe 2, on multiple occasions at a residence in Clay County, Mo. Jessica Young also admitted that she had recorded video of herself sexually abusing John Doe 2.
A forensic analysis of Houston Young’s cell phone also determined that he sent images of child pornography to Jessica Young and a 16-year-old child victim (identified in court documents as “Jane Doe”). Houston Young sent pornographic images of himself to Jane Doe, solicited child pornographic images of her that she sent to him, and engaged in sexual conversations. Jane Doe told investigators she met Houston Young on a game room chat, League of Legends, and started talking via that forum. They communicated via text, the Kik and Whatsapp applications, and video chat.
Houston Young has two prior felony convictions related to the sexual exploitation of children. He was convicted of child molestation in Wright County, Mo., in 2005 and of possessing child pornography in Jackson County, Mo., in 2016.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the state has agreed to dismiss charges against Jessica Young of statutory rape and statutory sodomy in Clay County Circuit Court after she has been sentenced in federal court.
Under federal statutes, Jessica Young is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 30 years in federal prison without parole, on each of the two counts. Due to his prior convictions, Houston Young is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 35 years in federal prison without parole, up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Investigations.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."