Western District of Missouri
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
KCK Man Sentenced for Carjacking That Caused Multi-Vehicle Wreck, Dog's DeathRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court for a carjacking that ended in a multiple-vehicle collision with injuries and the death of the car owner’s dog.
Stephen D. Bagley, 27, of Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 12 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Bagley to pay $1,000 in restitution to the carjacking victim.
On Feb. 10, 2017, Bagley pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Bagley has remained in prison, serving a sentence imposed by the U.S. District Court in the District of Kansas, since he was indicted on July 8, 2015.
Bagley admitted that he stole a 2008 Nissan Altima at gunpoint on June 22, 2014. Bagley brandished a Glock .40-caliber pistol during the carjacking.
According to the plea agreement, the owner of the vehicle was standing near the car talking to some friends at about 2:30 a.m., while parked in front of Express Mart at 3786 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. A friend was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle when Bagley grabbed the door handle. The passenger told him “this ain’t your car.” Bagley then pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at her while he got in the driver’s seat. While pointing the gun at her, Bagley told her to get out of the car.
The vehicle owner’s dog, Mister, was left inside the vehicle when Bagley backed out of the station and sped off. The owner and his friend got into another friend’s car and attempted to follow the Altima as they last saw it speeding northbound on Interstate 35. They returned to the Express Mart and contacted police to report the carjacking.
A few minutes later, officers were dispatched to a multi-vehicle crash with injuries on Interstate 35, in the northbound lanes near West Pennway, in Kansas City, Mo. The Altima had crashed into multiple vehicles and Bagley had fled from the crash site. Mister was found dead inside the Altima.
Detectives obtained the surveillance video from the Express Mart during the time of the carjacking. Bagley’s U.S. probation officer, who had supervised Bagley since his release in April 2014 from the Bureau of Prisons, identified him as the assailant. In August 2014, an ATF agent interviewed a woman who was involved in a domestic dispute with Bagley in which Bagley fired six shots with a .40-caliber pistol. The .40-caliber spent shell casings were recovered as evidence, and the victim identified Bagley in photos taken from the surveillance video.
U.S. Marshals had arrested Bagley on July 29, 2014, for violating his supervised release in the District of Kansas case. Marshals executed a search warrant at Bagley’s residence at the time of his arrest and recovered the Glock .40-caliber pistol, an extended magazine and multiple rounds of ammunition.
A forensic scientist determined that the Glock pistol recovered from Bagley’s residence was the pistol that fired a spent shell casing recovered from inside the Altima on June 22, 2014. The ballistics also matched the spent shell casings recovered from the domestic dispute involving Bagley.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
KC Man Indicted for Illegal Firearm After Carrying Gun into Federal CourthouseRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally possessing a firearm that he brought into the federal courthouse.
Joshua D. Hughes, 42, of Kansas City, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Hughes on May 26, 2017.
The indictment alleges that Hughes was in possession of a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on May 26, 2017.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Hughes entered the lobby of the U.S. District Court, 400 E. 9th Street, at approximately 10:27 a.m. on May 26, 2017. A Kansas City police detective noticed that Hughes was obviously impaired as he walked up the steps to the courthouse, the affidavit says, and believed Hughes was under the influence of PCP. Hughes, who was carrying a black backpack, made contact with court security officers and stated, “I’m a felon in possession.” Hughes was frisked, the affidavit says, and officers found the loaded handgun in his boxer shorts.
The backpack Hughes had been carrying was placed in the x-ray scanner. Security officers observed several items which they believed to be contraband, the affidavit says, so they opened the backpack and located a bottle of suspected PCP. Hughes was placed under arrest and transported to an area hospital for treatment due to his level of impairment.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Caine. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Independence Man Faces Additional Charges of Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Independence, Mo., man previously charged with producing child pornography has been indicted by a federal grand jury on additional charges of child sexual exploitation of five additional child victims.
Travis Howard White, 24, of Independence, was charged in an 11-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, June 1, 2017. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint filed against White on May 10, 2017.
White is charged with enticing a minor (identified as Minor Victim 1) to engage in illicit sexual activity from Feb. 5, 2016, to March 1, 2017. The indictment also charges White with two counts of using Minor Victim 1 to produce child pornography. White also is charged with two counts of transferring obscene material to Minor Victim 1, including numerous images depicting horses and dogs engaged in sexual activity with humans.
The indictment also charges White with one count of receiving child pornography over the Internet and five counts of transferring obscene material to a minor under the age of 16, which occurred from August 2016 to January 2017. These charges are related to five additional child victims.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the investigation began when law enforcement agents learned Minor Victim 1 was living with White. She told investigators that she met White online in January 2016, when she was 13 years old and living in Kansas. They began “sexting” and exchanging sexually explicit nude photographs, she said. When she and her mother moved to Kansas City, Mo., in September 2016, they stayed at a hotel for a few days before her mother returned to Kansas and left her with White. The victim was placed in emergency police protective custody on March 1, 2017.
Investigators found numerous Facebook messages between White and the victim. Their conversations were of a sexual nature, the affidavit says, including instructions from White to the victim about what sorts of pictures to take and what sort of activity to engage in. The victim allegedly sent White several sexually explicit images of herself, the affidavit says, and White in turn sent her a nude image of himself. White also sent the victim approximately three dozen images depicting horses and dogs engaged in the sexually explicit abuse of females of varying and indeterminate age, according to the affidavit.
White told investigators he engaged in sexual activity with the victim at numerous locations in the metropolitan area, the affidavit says. White said he engaged in similar sexual discussions with approximately “50 to 100” other females, a number of whom were underage, via Facebook and other means.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by 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."
KC Man Sentenced to 19 Years for PCP ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute PCP.
Ronnie Barrett, 46, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 19 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 22, 2016, Barrett pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute PCP from Jan. 1, 2014, to May 21, 2015, and to aiding and abetting money laundering. Barrett admitted he was a mid-level PCP dealer and obtained multiple-ounce quantities of PCP to distribute in PCP-dipped cigarettes called “sticks,” half-ounce bottles, and full ounce bottles. Barrett possessed and distributed more than a kilogram of PCP.
Barrett also admitted that he aided and abetted an uncharged accomplice to launder drug-trafficking proceeds. Money obtained from the PCP conspiracy was used to purchase a 2006 Maserati Quattroporte at a car dealership in Kansas City, Mo., for $25,000, with the intent to conceal the ownership of the unlawful proceeds. The Maserati was purchased by Barrett but the vehicle was titled in the name of the uncharged accomplice.
Barrett is the final defendant among 11 defendants who have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in this case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
Cedarcreek Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Cedarcreek, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Sean L. Myers, 49, of Cedarcreek, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Myers was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. The court ordered today’s sentence to be served consecutively to his 1991 Camden County convictions for first degree assault and armed criminal action (a sentence of 50 years) and his 2010 Taney County conviction for distributing and manufacturing a controlled substance (a sentence of 15 years).
On Nov. 15, 2016, Myers pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
After law enforcement was contacted by a person who reported that Myers had attempted to shoot someone, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Myers on Feb. 1, 2016. During the traffic stop, Myers acted as if he were hiding an item. Troopers observed a loaded Ruger .22-caliber rifle on the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Troopers also located an aluminum can wedged between the passenger seat and the center console. The can contained a dried substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Investigators later determined that the rifle was registered to Myers’s mother. When law enforcement contacted Myers’s mother, she indicated that the rifle found in Myers’s possession belonged to her and he did not obtain her permission before taking the 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. Myers has seven prior felony convictions for stealing, as well as prior felony convictions for assault, armed criminal action, attempted manufacture of a controlled substance and burglary.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Two Former Vernon County Ambulance District Employees Indicted for $260,000 EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that the former director and the former bookkeeper of the Vernon County Ambulance District have been indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzling more than $260,000 from the district.
Tina L. Werner, 51, and James D. McKenzie, 51, both formerly of Nevada, Mo., were charged in a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on May 11, 2017.
McKenzie and Werner were employed with the ambulance district until October 2015, McKenzie as the director and Werner as a bookkeeper. McKenzie’s duties as director included managing the daily operations of the district, including the personnel and financial management of the district. McKenzie began his employment with the ambulance district in 1987. Werner’s duties as bookkeeper included managing payroll, conducting financial transactions and managing the accounts receivable. Werner began her employment in 2000.
The federal indictment alleges that Werner, utilizing her position as bookkeeper, began electronically transferring money from the ambulance district’s bank accounts into personal bank accounts held by herself and McKenzie in January 2013. Additionally, Werner allegedly initiated electronic bill payments from ambulance district bank accounts to pay the personal credit cards held by herself and McKenzie. Werner and McKenzie did not have authorization to conduct such payments and their actions caused the ambulance district to suffer financial loss.
Additionally, the indictment says, from January 2013 until October 2015, Werner and McKenzie issued payments from an ambulance district credit card account for the purpose of paying McKenzie’s personal utility bills and those of a McKenzie family member, resulting in the ambulance district suffering additional financial loss. Werner and McKenzie did not have authorization to conduct such payments.
Werner also allegedly falsified electronic payroll records and recorded additional overtime hours worked for herself and McKenzie. As a result, the ambulance district issued electronic payments to Werner and McKenzie for overtime hours that were not actually worked, resulting in the district falsely overpaying Werner and McKenzie, thereby suffering additional financial loss.
McKenzie and Werner allegedly embezzled a total of $260,265 from the ambulance district from January 2013 to October 2015.
According to the indictment, Werner attempted to conceal the embezzlement by entering a false deposit of $130,000 in the QuickBooks application, and by obtaining a $20,000 line of credit from OnDeck without the knowledge or authorization of the ambulance district’s board of directors. McKenzie and Werner allegedly destroyed financial and business documents belonging to the ambulance district while they were in the district’s office on Oct. 23, 2015, in an effort to conceal their embezzlement.
In addition to the conspiracy, McKenzie and Werner are charged together in three counts of wire fraud related to thefts from the district’s Christmas account (into which employees deposited money throughout the year, then withdrew during the Christmas shopping season) to pay McKenzie’s and Werner’s credit cards.
McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in two counts of wire fraud related to thefts from the district’s toy drive bank account, which was transferred to the bank account of McReed Construction, a business owned by McKenzie.
McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in one count of wire fraud related to theft from an ambulance district credit card to pay the personal utility bills of McKenzie and a family member.
McKenzie and Werner are also charged together in one count of wire fraud related to McKenzie receiving compensation to which he was not entitled due to being paid for overtime that he did not actually work. Werner is also charged with one count of wire fraud related to her receiving compensation to which she was not entitled due to being paid for overtime that she did not actually work.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Carney and Casey Clark. It was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Springfield, Ash Grove Men Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man and an Ash Grove, Mo., man were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine.
Anthony J. Van Pelt, 38, of Springfield, and Brandon A. House, 33, of Ash Grove, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Van Pelt was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison without parole. House was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 28 co-defendants.
In 2013 through 2014, Daniel and Kenna Harmon, 38, of Republic, Mo., distributed in excess of 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri. Van Pelt was one of the sources that provided methamphetamine to the Harmon drug-trafficking organization during this time. Kenna Harmon also obtained methamphetamine from other sources and provided distributive amounts to Van Pelt and to House, who was a mid-level distributor.
Van Pelt was arrested on Nov. 27, 2014, when he was found hiding under the bed in his residence during the execution of a search warrant. Van Pelt had been identified earlier in the day as the driver of a Ford Mustang parked in the driveway of Kenna Harmon’s residence. Police officers followed Van Pelt when he drove away from Kenna Harmon’s residence and conducted a traffic stop, but Van Pelt fled from the vehicle. Officers found $23,663 inside the vehicle.
When law enforcement officers executed the search warrant at Van Pelt’s residence later the same day, they found four rifles and numerous rounds of ammunition in the same bedroom where Van Pelt was hiding. Officers also found approximately 405 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, and $3,990 in a hidden safe by the bedroom. An additional 36 grams of methamphetamine was seized out of the bedroom. Agents found a duffel bag in the garage of the residence that contained approximately 20 pounds of marijuana and 1,066 grams of methamphetamine (a total of approximately 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine).
Springfield police officers executed a search warrant at a residence on Dec. 12, 2013. House was present with two other persons, all of whom denied ownership of a baggie of methamphetamine and $4,000 seized by officers. House was also a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Springfield police officers on Jan. 27, 2014. Officers found $13,850 inside the vehicle.
A source of information told DEA agents that he purchased methamphetamine from House. According to this source, House was buying at least two pounds of methamphetamine every other day from Kenna Harmon.
On July 8, 2014, members of the COMET Drug Task Force conducted a check of a suspicious person inside a vehicle parked in a residential driveway in Nixa, Mo. House, who was clearly under the influence of a controlled substance, was passed out inside the vehicle. A Christian County deputy found 33.66 grams of methamphetamine, .77 grams of cocaine, $840, pills, blotted paper that appeared to be LSD, and glass smoking pipes inside the vehicle.
Kenna Harmon was arrested in November 2014. Agents searched various residences and vehicles belonging to Kenna Harmon and her co-conspirators and seized approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately $128,674. Kenna Harmon has pleaded guilty to being a leader in the drug-trafficking conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Daniel Harmon was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
KC Man, Woman Plead Guilty to $2 Million Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man and woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a more than $2 million conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Allyssa D. Samm, 28, and Eric D. Looker, 32, both of Kansas City, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Kansas City metropolitan area from Feb. 8, 2015, to Feb. 29, 2016.
Today’s plea agreements cite several instances in which Samm and Looker were involved in the sale of methamphetamine to a confidential law enforcement informant. According to her plea agreement, Samm and a co-conspirator had been purchasing approximately a half-pound of methamphetamine a day for past year at the time of her arrest (on Feb. 20, 2016), which they then distributed in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Looker received methamphetamine from Samm and a co-conspirator. The government believes Looker received at least a half-ounce of methamphetamine per week during the conspiracy, for a total of at least 731.1 grams of methamphetamine, a portion of which he redistributed.
Under the terms of their plea agreements, Looker and Samm are jointly assessed a money judgment of $2,044,700, which represents the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. According to today’s plea agreements, the average street price of an ounce of methamphetamine within this conspiracy was $700 per ounce (28.35 grams). The government believes that approximately 82.7 kilograms of methamphetamine (at approximately 98 percent purity) was distributed during the conspiracy. The government believes Samm, who received methamphetamine from a supplier in Kansas City, Kan., and distributed it to others involved in the conspiracy, was involved in the total distribution amount. The government believes that Looker’s responsibility with regard to the money judgment is $18,200.
Co-defendant Amanda N. Greenway, 30, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty on April 12, 2017, to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. The government believes Greenway was personally involved in the distribution of at least 6.7 grams of methamphetamine, placing her joint and several responsibility within the money judgment at $175.
Under federal statutes, Samm 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. Looker 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 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 C. Edwards. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
KC Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal AmmunitionRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing ammunition.
Joseph L. Hill, 39, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Hill was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Nov. 3, 2016, Hill pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. Hill admitted that he was in possession of 40 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition, five rounds of .40-caliber ammunition, 10 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition and 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition on July 15, 2015.
Kansas City police officers executed a search warrant at Hill’s residence on July 15, 2015, following a series of five narcotics transactions between Hill and a confidential informant. The ammunition was found inside a small safe in a bedroom at Hill’s residence, along with $1,000 and a glass jar with a green leafy residue. Two handguns – a Jimenez 9mm and a Savage Arms .32-caliber semi-automatic – were found in other rooms inside the residence. Hill denied any knowledge of the two handguns.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Hill has four prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
KCK Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Illegal Firearm, MarijuanaRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and possessing marijuana for distribution.
Michael Anthony Garrett, 32, of Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Garrett was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime on Jan. 13, 2016.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Garrett was in possession of a loaded Glock .45-caliber pistol on Dec. 28, 2014. An off-duty police officer found Garrett asleep in a Dodge Caravan that was parked at one of the pumps at Grand Slam gas station, 631 Grand, Kansas City, Mo. There was no one else in the vehicle. The officer attempted to wake Garrett up but he would not wake up.
Another officer saw a handgun in the vehicle, lying in plain view on top of a pile of clothes between the seats. There was a holster for the gun observed on the front passenger floor board. Officers also found a digital scale and a mason jar containing five separately packaged baggies totaling 10.3 grams of marijuana in the vehicle. When Garrett eventually woke up, he was arrested.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Garrett has prior felony convictions for aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and eluding a police officer.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Alison Dunning. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Threatening Lawyer in Drug-trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the father of a man convicted of leading a large-scale drug-trafficking conspiracy in Columbia, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for threatening the attorney who represented one of his son’s co-defendants.
Bruce Wayne Stephens, 71, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to eight years in federal prison without parole. Today’s federal sentence must be served consecutively to any probation revocation sentence imposed on Stephens in an unrelated state case for felony driving while suspended in Cooper County, Mo. Stephens has remained in federal custody since his arrest on Oct. 12, 2016.
On Dec. 7, 2016, Stephens was found guilty at trial of obstructing justice by threatening to retaliate against another person because of his participation in an official proceeding.
Stephens is the father of Malcolm Desean Redmon, who was sentenced on Sept. 29, 2016, to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole. Redmon pleaded guilty to leading a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of powder cocaine and crack cocaine in Boone County from November 2011 to August 2014. Court documents also cite Redmon’s involvement in numerous shooting incidents and his history of criminal activity, including violent crimes and drug use. Twenty seven defendants were convicted and have been sentenced in that case.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Stephens made a series of threats intended to retaliate against those involved in the prosecution of Redmon. The primary person Stephens threatened was Brian Risley, the attorney who represented one of Redmon’s co-defendants, Vershawn Edwards.
While the case against him was pending, Redmon was involved in threatening witnesses and cooperators, as documented by recorded phone conversations between Redmon and his mother, as well as postings on various social media sites and documents obtained via search warrant that contained the names of individuals next to witness statements of persons Redmon believed were responsible for cooperating against him.
When Risley arrived at the federal courthouse for Edwards’s sentencing hearing on Sept. 29, 2016 (the same afternoon as Redmon’s sentencing hearing), he was met by several persons outside the courtroom who asked him who he represented. When he replied that he represented Edwards, Stephens repeatedly stated, “snitches, snitches belong in ditches.”
Inside the courtroom, Stephens again repeatedly stated the phrase, “snitches, snitches belong in ditches,” and this time appeared to direct the comments toward Edwards’s family members in the courtroom. After the Edwards sentencing hearing concluded, Stephens moved toward Edwards’s family in the courtroom. Risley, fearing that Stephens would attempt to confront family members, attempted to physically block Stephens’s access by placing himself between Stephens and the family. The family left the courtroom and Risley kept himself positioned between Stephens and the family as the family moved toward the elevator. During this time, Stephens was again repeating the phrase “snitches, snitches belong in ditches.”
Risley raised his arm at one point to prevent Stephens from passing him and Stephens then began to curse loudly and accused Risley of pushing him. Two court security officers then escorted Stephens out of the courthouse. One of the officers heard Stephens threaten Risley and the officers.
A few minutes later, Risley left the courthouse and walked to his car parked on the street across from the courthouse. Stephens then accosted Risley as Risley got to his car and opened the car door. Stephens stated to Risley, “snitches, you a … snitch … I will kill you, kill your wife, kill your family.” Risley did not respond, finished getting into his car, shut the car door and drove off.
While there is no direct evidence that Stephens participated in his son’s drug-trafficking conspiracy, according to court documents, there is ample evidence that Stephens supported Redmon’s drug-dealing lifestyle as well as the culture associated with drug dealing, one part of which is to threaten harm to those who testify against drug dealers. For example, in his post-arrest statement, Stephens reaffirmed his belief that physical harm should be inflicted on “snitches.” Stephens has incurred 34 separate criminal convictions since the age of 19 and served at least three stints in the Missouri state prison system.
In sentencing Stephens today, the court found that he committed perjury when he testified in his own defense at trial, which increased the advisory sentencing guidelines range from a maximum of six years and six months in prison to a maximum of eight years in prison. Stephens falsely testified, for example, that he did not make any threatening statements in the courtroom while attending the Edwards sentencing hearing. Stephens testified that he used foul and abusive language, but denied that he committed any crime. Stephens attempted to justify his use of foul and abusive language by falsely claiming that he did so only after Risley allegedly assaulted him, and after court security officers mistreated him by being indifferent both to the assault and to Stephens’s need to use the bathroom. Stephens also falsely testified that he did not make any threatening statements to Risley outside the courthouse. Stephens’s testimony included a false narrative of events that occurred in the courthouse, in the courtroom, after he was kicked out of the courthouse, and especially on the street outside the courthouse where Stephens threatened to kill Risley and his family.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy U.S. Attorney Gene Porter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Orsinger. It was investigated by the FBI.
Arkansas Man Pleads Guilty to Bomb Threats at Cedar County CourthouseRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Arkansas man has pleaded guilty in federal court to making bomb threats to the Cedar County Courthouse in an effort to cancel his own court hearing that he feared would send him to jail.
Phillip Ray Robison, Jr., 36, of Hartford, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Thursday, May 25, 2017, to one count of maliciously conveying false information related to explosive materials. Robison remains in federal custody without bond.
By pleading guilty, Robison admitted that he made three separate bomb threats on two occasions in January 2016, each of which caused the evacuation of the Cedar County Courthouse in Stockton, Mo.
Robison called the court clerk for the Cedar County Courthouse on Jan. 11, 2016. Robison stated, “You better tell Judge Bickel to clear the courthouse cuz a bomb is going off at 2:30.” Law enforcement cleared everyone and searched the courthouse for the presence of an explosive or bomb. Law enforcement did not locate an explosive device in the courthouse.
After the courthouse was cleared, Robison called the clerk’s office a second time and said, “you screwed up,” indicating that law enforcement had missed the bomb during their original search. Once again the courthouse was closed and another search was conducted. Law enforcement again failed to find an explosive device during this second search.
On the day of the bomb threat, a court bailiff observed Robison at the courthouse. The bailiff thought that Robison seemed nervous. Robison had been scheduled to appear in Judge Bickel’s court for a probation violation hearing following his prior conviction for distribution of illegal narcotics. Robison was concerned that he was going to be sent to the Missouri Department of Corrections for a 120-day sentence.
On Jan. 25, 2016, Robison called another bomb threat into the Cedar County Courthouse. The court was cleared and searched by law enforcement officers. No explosive device was located. When the court reopened to the public, Robison was first in line. Deputies who were aware of the circumstances of the first bomb threat recognized Robison.
Deputies asked Robison to step out of line to speak with them. Robison agreed to be interviewed and was taken to the sheriff’s office. Robison admitted that he had made both of the January 2016 bomb threats because he wanted his court hearing to be cancelled. Robison believed that if his hearing was held, the court would return him to jail, and he wanted to avoid returning to jail. Robison also told deputies that there were never any bombs.
Under federal statutes, Robison is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 the Cedar County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
Grandview Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Grandview, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Anthony B. Hutton, 29, of Grandview, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Hutton was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Feb. 16, 2017, Hutton pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hutton admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Glock .40-caliber pistol.
Kansas City police officers found the pistol in Hutton’s waistband when he was being arrested on Jan. 31, 2016. Officers had been dispatched on a reported theft involving a beige Toyota Corolla. Officers saw the Corolla parked in the street on the curb, occupied by Hutton and another person. Hutton got out of the driver’s side of the vehicle when officers approached. Officers saw the grip of a black handgun tucked halfway in Hutton’s waistband and immediately placed him in handcuffs. A check of the pistol’s serial number revealed it to be stolen and Hutton was placed under arrest for possession of stolen property. Officers searched the vehicle and found nine individually wrapped plastic baggies containing a total of 44 grams of marijuana, six individual baggies of cocaine weighing a total of five grams, four green unknown pills, three yellow unknown pills and .5 grams of cocaine that was sitting on the ground by Hutton.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Hutton has three prior felony convictions for distribution of a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon (for attempting to shoot someone). Hutton was on probation at the time of the offense.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Douglas Marion Pryor, 55, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to seven years in federal prison without parole.
On Jan. 19, 2017, Pryor pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Boone, Cooper, Lafayette and Jackson Counties in Missouri from Aug. 25, 2015, to Jan. 11, 2016.
Pryor admitted that he had distributed approximately 40 to 50 pounds of methamphetamine since 2012. Pryor was arrested on Jan. 11, 2016, during a traffic stop in Boonville. Officers found a green bag in the back seat of his vehicle, which contained a pill bottle with six plastic bag corners of methamphetamine.
Co-defendant Gregory Alan Kennedy, 53, of Boonville, Mo., traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to pick up a large quantity of methamphetamine for Pryor on Aug. 25, 2015. Kennedy transported the methamphetamine from Kansas City to Boonville and was arrested just outside the city limits during a traffic stop. Officers located approximately one pound of methamphetamine hidden in the dashboard of his vehicle. Kennedy told investigators that Pryor had offered to pay him $700 to pick up the methamphetamine and bring it to Boonville, where Pryor would pick it up.
Co-defendant Matthew Allen Hampton, 35, of Franklin, Mo., was delivering approximately two pounds of methamphetamine to Pryor when he was stopped by Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers on I-70 in Lafayette County on Oct. 14, 2015. Hampton told investigators they had met in Pryor’s room at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City, Mo., where Pryor handed him the methamphetamine and agreed to pay him $500 if he drove the methamphetamine back. Hampton admitted he had been dealing for Pryor for three or four months, and had moved approximately three to five pounds of methamphetamine in the last three months.
Law enforcement officers contacted Hampton again on Nov. 24, 2015, at the Isle of Capri Hotel/Casino in Boonville. Hampton had a plastic bag that contained methamphetamine in his pants pocket and a blue plastic glove that contained 93.1 grams of methamphetamine in a coat pocket. Hampton told officers he received the methamphetamine from Pryor.
Pryor is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendant Joseph Nicko Winters, 45, of Independence, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Hampton and Kennedy have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Cooper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Lafayette County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the East Central Drug Task Force.
Springfield Man Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine.
David A. Floyd, 44, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Monday, May 22, 2017, to 13 years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On Jan. 4, 2017, Floyd pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy that lasted from June 1, 2013, to Nov. 29, 2014.
In 2013 through 2014, Daniel and Kenna Harmon, 38, of Republic, Mo., distributed in excess of 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri. Floyd was one of the persons that received methamphetamine from the Harmon drug-trafficking organization during this time. Floyd personally received more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from the Harmon drug-trafficking organization, which he then distributed to other persons.
Floyd was arrested on Aug. 1, 2014, when federal agents conducted a traffic stop and searched his vehicle. Officers found approximately 322 grams of methamphetamine, which Floyd received from Kenna Harmon, and 39 grams of marijuana. Officers also discovered $3,156.
Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network in southwest Missouri involving several sources of supply. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 28 co-defendants.
Daniel Harmon was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Kenna Harmon has pleaded guilty to being a leader in the drug-trafficking conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Parkville Man Pleads Guilty to Computer Hacking, Accessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Parkville, Mo., man who was under investigation for hacking into his former employer’s computer system, pleaded guilty in federal court today to both the intrusion charge and to using a computer to view online child pornography.
Jacob Raines, 38, of Parkville, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of computer intrusion and one count of accessing a computer in order to view child pornography over the Internet.
Raines worked as the information technology manager for American Crane & Tractor Parts in Kansas City, Kan., from July 2004 until his resignation on March 28, 2014. The company’s new IT manager removed Raines’s computer passwords and made other security changes associated with the transition to a new IT manager. However, while utilizing the computer previously assigned to Raines, the new IT manager noticed that someone had logged into the computer remotely and copied files to an off-site server.
An examination revealed the company’s proprietary source code files and file folders were copied to Raines’s remote server during several sessions from May 16 to May 18, 2014. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Raines’s residence on April 2, 2015, for evidence of the computer intrusion and theft of trade secrets. Copies of the proprietary source code for the company were on Raines’s home computer.
This proprietary source code is considered a trade secret by American Crane & Tractor Parts, which provides it a competitive advantage in its industry. The value of the proprietary source code exceeds $5,000, and the copying of this source code would provide a commercial advantage and a private financial gain to others.
Investigators also discovered that Raines had used his home computers and hard drives to access child pornography over the Internet since Nov. 13, 2013. Raines utilized peer-to-peer, file-sharing software to search for child pornography. Investigators discovered more than 7,000 files of child pornography images and videos on a Memorex DVD.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government will argue for a sentence of up to 7 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 David Luna. It was investigated by the FBI.
KCK Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Enticing a Minor for SexRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today for enticing a child victim, whom he met online, into engaging in illegal sexual activity.
Nathan R. Caylor, 42, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 24 years in federal prison without parole.
On Dec. 12, 2016, Caylor pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count of receiving child pornography. Caylor admitted that he communicated online for more than a year with a 14-year-old victim, identified in court documents at “Jane Doe,” and traveled to her home to engage in sexual intercourse on at least eight separate occasions.
Caylor initially contacted Jane Doe in May 2013. He used the false name “Justin” and told her he was 17 years old. They exchanged photos of each other electronically and communicated via Skype. Caylor told Jane Doe that he had been diagnosed with cancer when he was 14 years old and that the chemotherapy and radiation he had to undergo for cancer made him look older. In reality, Caylor had never been diagnosed with cancer.
Caylor eventually turned the topic of their communications to graphic conversations of a sexual nature and made arrangements to meet Jane Doe in person. Caylor traveled to her home for the first time in November 2013 when her parents were not home. Between May 2013 and July 2014 Caylor also electronically sent pornographic photos of himself to Jane Doe.
In July 2014 the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department was notified about Caylor’s contact with Jane Doe. A Blue Springs detective assumed Jane Doe’s identity on Facebook and began communicating with Caylor. Caylor asked if he could visit, and was told that her parents were not home. Caylor told Jane Doe that he would see her that same day. He traveled by bus from Kansas City, Kan., to Independence, Mo., then walked several miles to her home. Caylor was arrested while he was walking to the victim’s home.
Investigators also found images of child pornography on Caylor’s computer, including images of a 3-to-4-year-old victim and a 10-to-12-year-old victim. Caylor also was in possession of images of Jane Doe engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Caylor has prior Kansas state convictions in 1993 for four counts of enticing a child and five counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. According to court documents, Caylor enticed four young children (between 7 and 8 years old) to enter a building so he could commit an unlawful sexual act upon them. He exposed himself to these same four children and as well as to a fifth child.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the Blue Springs, 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."
Springfield Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for producing and distributing child pornography.
Christopher Peck, 40, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 50 years in federal prison without parole. Peck was sentenced to 30 years for producing child pornography, which is the statutory maximum penalty, and to a consecutive 20 years for receiving and distributing child pornography, which is also the statutory maximum penalty. The court also sentenced Peck to a term of supervised release for the rest of his life following incarceration.
Peck, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2016, admitted that he used two minors, identified in court documents as Jane Doe #1 and John Doe #1, to produce child pornography between Nov. 1, 2014, and Jan. 8, 2016. Peck also admitted that he received and distributed child pornography during that time.
Co-defendant Tracy Ann Smith, 42, of Springfield, was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison without parole on Dec. 20, 2016.
Smith pleaded guilty on May 10, 2016, to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Smith admitted that she used a minor, identified in court documents as Jane Doe #1, to produce child pornography between Nov. 1, 2014, and Jan. 8, 2016. Smith also admitted that she received and distributed child pornography during that time.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., 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."
Springfield Man Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine.
Jeffrey L. Hatch, 47, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 18, 2016, Hatch pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy that lasted from June 1, 2013, to Nov. 29, 2014. Hatch also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network in southwest Missouri involving several sources of supply. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 28 co-defendants.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hatch’s residence on April 24, 2014, following two drug transactions between Hatch and a confidential source. Officers found approximately 131 grams of methamphetamine in the residence and $1,000 in Hatch’s wallet. Officers also found a Springfield Armory semi-automatic 9mm handgun in a safe, along with drug paraphernalia.
Hatch admitted that he purchased methamphetamine from Daniel Harmon, who was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. After Daniel Harmon’s arrest, Hatch purchased methamphetamine from his co-defendant and Harmon’s wife, Kenna Harmon, who has pleaded guilty to being a leader in the drug-trafficking conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 22, 2014, another undercover drug transaction was made by a confidential source who purchased 27 grams of methamphetamine from Hatch for $1,300.
On May 28, 2014, Hatch was arrested during a traffic stop in the parking lot of a Springfield hotel. He was carrying a ziplock bag containing methamphetamine and $1,390. Officers also searched his hotel room and found additional baggies of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. In total, officers seized 18 grams of methamphetamine from Hatch that day.
In total, the Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Hatch purchased ¼ to ½ pounds of methamphetamine per day from the Harmon drug-trafficking organization and during the course of the conspiracy, approximately 150 grams of methamphetamine were seized from him.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Missouri Hospitals Agree to Pay United States $34 Million to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Arising from Improper Payments to OncologistsRead the Press Release
Two Southwest Missouri health care providers have agreed to pay the United States $34,000,000 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Justice Department announced today. The two Defendants are Mercy Hospital Springfield f/k/a St. John’s Regional Health Center, and its affiliate, Mercy Clinic Springfield Communities f/k/a St. John’s Clinic. Among other health care facilities, the Defendants operate a hospital, clinic, and infusion center in Springfield, Missouri.
The settlement announced today resolved allegations that the Defendants submitted false claims to the Medicare Program for chemotherapy services rendered to patients referred by oncologists whose compensation was based in part on a formula that improperly took into account the value of their referrals of patients to the infusion center operated by the Defendants. Federal law restricts the financial relationships that hospitals and clinics may have with doctors who refer patients to them.
“When physicians are rewarded financially for referring patients to hospitals or other health care providers, it can affect their medical judgment, resulting in overutilization of services that drives up health care costs for everyone,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “In addition to yielding a recovery for taxpayers, this settlement should deter similar conduct in the future and help make health care more affordable.”
The allegations settled today arose from a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower, Dr. Viran Roger Holden, a physician who was employed by one of the Defendants, under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery. Dr. Holden will receive $5,440,000 from the recovery.
“This settlement protects patients and the public by enforcing the federal protections against profit incentives for physicians,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Larson for the Western District of Missouri. “Patients deserve assurances that they are receiving appropriate medical care, unbiased by hidden incentives. And taxpayers deserve assurances that the cost of public health care programs is not inflated by unnecessary procedures and services.”
“When physician compensation improperly accounts for referrals, patients are left to wonder whether their doctor’s judgment has been tainted and motivated by financial interests,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven Hanson for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. “Illegal financial reward has no place in health care. Today’s settlement should send a message that, together with our law enforcement partners, we will pursue these cases.”
The government’s intervention/complaint in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The case, United States ex rel. Holden v. Mercy Hospital Springfield, et al., Case No. 15-cv-3283 (W.D. Mo.), was handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General. The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Jury Convicts California Man of Large-Scale PCP ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a California man was convicted in federal court today of his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of PCP in the Kansas City area.
Ladronal S. Hamilton, also known as “Black,” 45, of Hawthorne, Calif., was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to distribute PCP in Jackson County, Mo., and elsewhere from Jan. 1, 2011, to March 12, 2015.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Hamilton supplied numerous associates in Kansas City with kilogram quantities of PCP, which was transported from California through the mail.
Operation Dirty Glass
Operation Dirty Glass was an investigation of a large-scale PCP and crack cocaine drug trafficking organization. More than 20 defendants were indicted and convicted as a result of the investigation, including the primary target, Gerald W. Jones, 45, of Kansas City, Mo., who received PCP from Hamilton. In a separate but related, case, Jones was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Investigators seized a total of approximately 14 kilograms of PCP in a series of Express Mail shipments made by Hamilton to Kansas City, Mo. On Oct. 17, 2014, a postal inspector identified an Express Mail package that had been sent by Hamilton from the La Tiejera, Calif., post office to a Kansas City, Mo., address. The parcel contained three metal canisters, each of which contained approximately two kilograms of PCP. On Nov. 10, 2014, a postal inspector identified two more Express Mail packages that had been sent by Hamilton from California to Kansas City, Mo., addresses. Inside each package, investigators found a metal canister containing approximately two kilograms of PCP.
Hamilton made frequent trips to the Kansas City area. Prior to the discovery of the PCP shipments, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service interdicted two Express Mail envelopes on Oct. 16, 2013, that Hamilton, while visiting Kansas City, had sent back to California. One envelope contained $4,000 and the other contained $7,000, of drug proceeds.
Operation Water Park
Hamilton was also implicated in a separate investigation, Operation Water Park, which resulted in the indictment and convictions of 11 defendants. In early 2015, Hamilton began supplying PCP to Leelon Williams, 40, of Kansas City, Mo. Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute PCP and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
Williams was arrested on March 12, 2015, when Kansas City, Mo., police officers were dispatched to the area of 26th Street and College to investigate a shooting. Williams was found hiding inside his van, which was parked in an alleyway near the scene of the shooting. (Williams was not involved in the shooting.) Investigators searched the van and found two glass orange juice bottles that contained a total of approximately 1.2 kilograms of PCP, which Hamilton had shipped to Williams from California.
Under federal statutes, Hamilton is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 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.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about 3 hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner, ending a trial that began Monday, May 15, 2017.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brent Venneman and Emily A. Orsinger. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
St. Charles, Republic Women Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Charles, Mo., woman and a Republic, Mo., woman were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine.
Cheryl D. Paluczak, 50, of St. Charles, and Heather L. Courtois, 33, of Republic, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Paluczak was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison without parole. Courtois was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole.
Both Paluczak and Courtois pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy that lasted from June 1, 2013, to Nov. 29, 2014. Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network in southwest Missouri involving several sources of supply. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 27 co-defendants.
Paluczak admitted that she obtained approximately one pound of methamphetamine from co-defendant Kenna Harmon, 37, of Republic. Paluczak intended to transport the methamphetamine to the St. Louis, Mo., area for distribution. This methamphetamine, however, was seized by law enforcement officers during a traffic stop on Oct. 15, 2014.
Kenna Harmon has pleaded guilty to being a leader, along with her husband, Daniel Harmon, in the drug-trafficking conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In total, the Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Courtois admitted that she started getting methamphetamine from Kenna Harmon in August 2014. Courtois received ounce amounts of methamphetamine, for which she paid approximately $1,200 to $1,400 per ounce. In order to distribute the large amount of methamphetamine that she was responsible for selling, Kenna Harmon stored methamphetamine in several residences in Greene and Polk Counties, and directed several individuals to assist in maintaining those residences, including Courtois. Courtois rented a residence in Republic and provided it to Harmon, who stayed at the residence and used it in the storage and distribution of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Republic residence on Nov. 27, 2014, and found 5.5 pounds (2.49 kilograms) of methamphetamine, a loaded firearm and $20,000.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Two KC Men Plead Guilty to $1.2 Million Oxycodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Mo., men pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a $1.2 million conspiracy to distribute oxycodone that was obtained by using forged and fraudulent prescriptions.
Gary D. Dickinson, also known as “James DeJong,” 50, and Douglas R. Parker, 51, both of Kansas City, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to the charge contained in a Feb. 2, 2016, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Dickinson and Parker admitted they participated in a conspiracy that lasted from June 2013 to January 2016 to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, oxycodone. Conspirators obtained prescription-quality paper commonly used by authorized health care providers to write prescriptions. They also obtained the DEA registration numbers of health care providers, which they used to prepare fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone.
Conspirators took the false prescriptions to pharmacies in Kansas City metropolitan area and elsewhere. They commonly sold the oxycodone 30mg pills for between $15 to $25 per pill.
Following several undercover purchases of fraudulent prescriptions from Dickinson, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Dickinson’s residence on Dec. 23, 2013. Detectives recovered several prescription pill bottles and drug paraphernalia (including pipes, syringes and scales). They also recovered two laptop computers, false prescriptions, blank prescription paper, contact lists and other documentation, including what appeared to be a written instructions on what to say if a pharmacist called to confirm the validity of a prescription.
Dickinson said he obtained false prescriptions from co-defendant Robert G. Joy, also known as “Bear,” 34, of Kansas City, Mo. Dickinson said he filled prescriptions for Joy, then gave him the Oxycodone in exchange for $175 to $225. On Dec. 26, 2013, Dickinson was arrested while attempting to fill a false prescription at The Drug Store in Odessa, Mo. Dickinson admitted that he passed, and attempted to pass, fraudulent prescriptions at several more locations in the months following his arrest. Dickinson was arrested on several occasions, including while attempting to pass more fraudulent prescriptions and after a car stop while he was driving a stolen truck and in possession of 65 Oxycodone pills, 6.5 grams of cocaine and .85 grams of methamphetamine.
On May 19, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Dickinson’s room at the Argosy Hotel. Officers found numerous items associated with the manufacture of false prescriptions, including a laptop computer with stored templates for prescriptions and checks, over 200 sheets of blank prescription quality paper, false prescriptions and other items.
During Dickinson’s involvement in the conspiracy, he was aware of at least 60 grams of Oxycodone being fraudulently obtained for distribution. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Dickinson must forfeit to the government a money judgment in an amount to be determined by the court at sentencing, which represents his share of proceeds from the criminal activity.
Parker was arrested on Dec. 17, 2013, while attempting to fill a false prescription at the Drexel Pharmacy in Drexel, Mo. Parker told investigators he received the prescription from Dickinson. Parker admitted he began filling false prescriptions for Dickinson about two weeks earlier, bringing the pills back to Dickinson and being paid $150. Parker was directly involved in at least 21.6 grams of Oxycodone being fraudulently obtained for distribution. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, he must forfeit to the government $14,400, which represents the proceeds of his criminal activity.
Dickinson and Parker are among 11 defendants to plead guilty in this case. Joy, Katherine E. Beaven, 33, Timothy D. Kroenke, 27, and Nicholas Destefano, 38, all of Kansas City, Mo., Christopher J. Neale, 28, of Harrisonville, Mo.; and Thomas Poindexter, 42, of Olathe, Kan., have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Co-defendants Jermaine C. Brooks, 30, Michelle C. Newton, 46, and Felicita A. San Miguel, also known as “Cassandra Jasso,” “Susan Hernandez,” and “Sarah Buckner,” 38, all of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.
Under federal statutes, Dickinson and Parker are each subject to a sentence of up to 20 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. 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 Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the police departments of Riverside, Blue Springs, Independence, Kearney, Odessa, Nevada, Higginsville, Drexel Lee’s Summit and Butler.
Nevada Woman Sentenced for Taking 'Food Stamps' for Meth, CashRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a conspiracy to exchange “food stamps” for methamphetamine or cash.
Julie M. Drake, 48, of Nevada, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to nine years in federal prison without parole.
On Jan. 30, 2017, Drake pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Drake admitted that she participated in a conspiracy from Aug. 30 to Oct. 14, 2015, in Bates and Vernon Counties. Drake accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, better known as “food stamps,” in exchange for methamphetamine or a percentage of the benefits in cash. Drake then used the EBT cards and PINs belonging to others to buy her own food.
Vernon County Sheriff’s Department officers executed a search warrant at Drake’s residence on Oct. 14, 2015. During a search of the master bedroom, officers found a purse that contained 22 baggies of methamphetamine, weighing approximately 100 grams, packaged for distribution. Officers also found two digital scales in the bedroom closet, as well as a safe that contained $4,720. Four EBT cards belonging to four other individuals were found on the dresser.
Investigators then reviewed video surveillance from the Wal-Mart stores in Nevada and Lamar, Mo., which showed Drake using the EBT cards found in her bedroom that she obtained through the sale of methamphetamine.
In interviews with federal agents, one of the recipients of the EBT cards admitted he used his EBT benefits to buy methamphetamine from Drake. He told investigators that a $55.94 transaction was payment for the methamphetamine, which would have cost approximately half the value of the transaction. Another one of the recipients admitted to selling his EBT benefits to Drake for 50 cents per each $1 in benefits. She would come to his residence to retrieve the EBT card, call the 1-800 number on the back of the EBT card to verify the balance, and then give him half of the value in cash.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nhan D. Nguyen and Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Independence Man Sentenced for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Boone, Cooper, Lafayette and Jackson counties.
Joseph Nicko Winters, 45, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Dec. 15, 2016, Winters pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distributing methamphetamine, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Winters sold an ounce of methamphetamine for $1,400 in a controlled drug buy on Jan. 12, 2016. Law enforcement officers then executed a search warrant at his residence, where they noticed a Hercules 12-gauge shotgun propped up against the bedroom wall. Winters also had a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol in a safe. Officers found several containers with a total of 137.661 grams of pure methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia and approximately $1,200 of the buy money that had been used by a cooperating individual to purchase methamphetamine earlier in the day.
Winters told investigators he had purchased more than a pound of methamphetamine from his supplier two weeks earlier. He admitted he had purchased a half-pound of methamphetamine every week or week and a half for the past three to four 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. Winters has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance.
Winters is the first defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendants Douglas Marion Pryor, 55, of Columbia, Mo., and Matthew Allen Hampton, 35, of Franklin, Mo., each pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and awaits sentencing. Co-defendant Gregory Alan Kennedy, 53, of Boonville, Mo., pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and awaits sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Cooper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Lafayette County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the East Central Drug Task Force.
Jefferson City Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Following Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing the firearm he used to shoot and kill another person.
Paris Mark Alexander-Henderson, 27, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jefferson City police officers responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of Elizabeth Street at approximately 1 a.m. on April 25, 2015. Witnesses indicated that Alexander-Henderson shot the victim, Bryant Sturkey. Sturkey was in critical condition due to several gunshot wounds, including one to his torso. Sturkey was transported to the hospital by ambulance but died of his wounds.
Alexander-Henderson admitted to officers that he had shot Sturkey. Officers seized a Girsan .45-caliber pistol, which he had used to shoot Sturkey, from Alexander-Henderson’s residence.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Alexander-Henderson has a prior felony conviction of aggravated DUI.
Under federal statutes, Alexander-Henderson is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive and the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department.
Columbia, Jefferson City Men Plead Guilty to Child PornographyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Columbia, Mo., men and a Jefferson City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today, in three separate cases, to charges related to child pornography.
USA v. Dominguez-Gonzalez
Sergio Antonio Dominguez-Gonzalez, 23, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to producing child pornography.
An undercover detective in Washington, D.C., posted numerous online bulletin messages on specific social media forums, which were Web sites frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children and incest. The bulletin messages were intended to attract individuals with a sexual interest in children. On Feb. 21, 2017, Dominguez-Gonzalez sent an e-mail to the undercover detective.
During the course of their e-mail conversation and later instant messaging, Dominguez-Gonzalez stated that he had sexual contact with a 2-year-old victim for the first time “recently” and had made two videos of himself molesting the victim. Dominguez-Gonzalez admitted he sent one of the videos, as well as screen shots from the video, to the undercover detective. He also told the undercover detective that he showed images of adult pornography to the victim “so she knows that (sic) girls do.”
Under federal statutes, Dominguez-Gonzalez 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 Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force.
USA v. Deavers
Brandon Lee Deavers, 22, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to receiving and distributing child pornography.
This investigation began on Aug. 22, 2016, when a detective with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a user who uploaded an image of an adult engaged in sexual conduct with a 2-year-old child. There were six other CyberTips with the same Skype user name and downloaded separately. The IP address was registered to Deavers and law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence on Oct. 19, 2016.
Investigators seized a Samsung tablet and two USB devices from Deavers’s residence, which contained evidence of Deavers obtaining child pornography over the Internet.
Under federal statutes, Deavers is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force.
USA v. Slusser
Lucas Wayne Slusser, 35, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to receiving and distributing child pornography.
In May and June 2016, a federal agent observed Slusser distributing child pornography on the Kik Messenger platform. Slusser posted a video of child pornography and five images of child pornography on one occasion. Slusser later posted an image of a female child bound with rope around her legs and arms and additional videos of child pornography.
On Aug. 26, 2016, agents executed a search warrant at Slusser’s residence and seized numerous digital devices, including a desktop computer and multiple cell phones. Investigators examined the cell phones and digital devices and identified numerous suspected child pornography files, containing both video and images. The files depicted infants and toddlers, violent sexual acts against children, and videos depicting child pornography which contained sexual acts with animals. They also located child erotica and Internet history that indicated Slusser was seeking out and sharing child pornography.
Under federal statutes, Slusser is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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 Wedding Photographer Pleads Guilty to Pornography Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former wedding photographer in Raymore, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to a fraud scheme to dupe women into having sex – which he recorded – under the guise they were rehearsing for a pornography movie.
Mario Ambrose Antoine, 34, of Raymore, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of wire fraud.
By pleading guilty today, Antoine admitted that he defrauded numerous victims in a scheme that lasted form Aug. 28, 2011, until Oct. 11, 2016. Antoine, posing in various roles as a company owner, recruiter, talent manager, photographer and videographer for multiple fictitious companies and private modeling websites (such as “Playboy Worldwide,” and “Playboy Asia”), induced women to engage in sexual and pornographic activity with him. Antoine promised the women, who signed contracts and modeling release forms, they would be paid thousands of dollars by these fictitious entities for their auditioning and modeling activity.
Victims of the wire fraud scheme were promised payments cumulatively totaling at least $550,000 and as much as $1.5 million. Antoine admitted that his fraud scheme affected 10 or more victims, and resulted in a substantial financial hardship to one or more of these victims.
In order to demonstrate the authenticity of the enterprise and assure prospective victims, Antoine prepared forged and fraudulent payment checks (purportedly issued to other “models”), IRS tax forms and Department of Homeland Security employment forms. He registered the domain name playboy-asia.com and created the e-mail account [email protected], which he used to communicate with victims.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Antoine will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole and must pay restitution to his victims, pending the court’s acceptance of the plea agreement at Antoine’s sentencing hearing on Sept. 13, 2017.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Daly and David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI, the Raymore, Mo., Police Department and the Office of the Missouri Attorney General.
NKC Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Discharging Firearm During Police PursuitRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a North Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for firing a pistol into the air as he attempted to outrun police officers.
Jason P. Summers, 33, of North Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 22, 2016, Summers pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
Summers admitted that he fired two shots in the air while he was being pursued by police officers on Aug. 19, 2015. A North Kansas City police officer attempted to conduct a pedestrian check when he saw Summers walking down the street, but Summers ignored the officer’s request to stop and instead fled on foot. Additional officers joined the foot chase. One officer witnessed Summers remove the gun from his waistband, look back at the officer, and fire two gunshots into the air.
Summers attempted to hide between two cars in a parking lot in the 2700 block of Burlington Street, but officers were able to apprehend him. Officers found the firearm, an SCCY Industries 9mm pistol, underneath a vehicle next to where Summers had been hiding. The gun was loaded with ammunition. Two fired cartridge cases were also recovered from the scene.
During a search of Summers, officers found various controlled substances, including psilocybin mushrooms, approximately 1.6 grams of marijuana, prescription drugs and a plastic baggie containing approximately 1.6 grams of methamphetamine. Summers told officers he had possessed and distributed approximately three pounds of methamphetamine over the past six months. Summers also admitted he had stolen the firearm from his father because he needed it for protection due to his involvement with methamphetamine. Summers explained he ran from police because, since he was a felon, he did not want to get caught with the gun. Summers said he fired two rounds into the air, hoping it would create some distance between himself and the officers during his escape.
Summers admitted that, at the time he discharged the firearm, he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Davids. It was investigated by the North Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
KC Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography of a 2-year-old victim.
Conner Michael Webb, 28, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 25 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 14, 2016, Webb pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
The investigation began when the subject of a federal investigation and prosecution for child pornography in the District of Kansas was arrested in November 2015. Federal agents searched his computer and cell phone and found numerous chat conversations with Webb, who used the profile name of Kinky PedoBoy. During one of those conversations, the Kansas subject (who is not identified in court documents) sent Webb several images and videos of child pornography. Webb sent a pornographic video of the 2-year-old victim, taken with his cell phone, to the Kansas subject.
On Oct. 15, 2015, Webb asked the Kansas subject to send him something to “get me in the mood” before he picked up the 2-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe.” The Kansas subject sent Webb several images and videos of child pornography on his cell phone. On the afternoon of the same day, Webb sent a pornographic video he had just taken of Jane Doe to the Kansas subject’s cell phone.
A federal search warrant was executed at Webb’s residence on Dec. 2, 2015. Officers seized Webb’s computers, phones and computer media. Webb, who was at home during the search, was arrested.
Webb admitted that he been communicating with the Kansas subject for approximately six years.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. It was investigated by 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."
Independence Man Charged with Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Independence, Mo., man has been charged in federal court with producing child pornography.
Travis Howard White, 24, of Independence, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. The complaint was unsealed and made public upon White’s arrest and initial court appearance this afternoon. White remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.
The federal criminal complaint alleges that White used a 13-year-old victim to produce child pornography between May 14 and June 2, 2016.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, the investigation began when law enforcement agents learned the victim, identified in court documents as Minor Victim 1, was living with White. She told investigators that she met White online in January 2016, when she was 13 years old and living in Kansas. They began “sexting” and exchanging sexually explicit nude photographs, she said. When she and her mother moved to Kansas City, Mo., in September 2016, they stayed at a hotel for a few days before her mother returned to Kansas and left her with White. The victim was placed in emergency police protective custody on March 1, 2017.
Investigators found numerous Facebook messages between White and the victim. Their conversations were of a sexual nature, the affidavit says, including instructions from White to the victim about what sorts of pictures to take and what sort of activity to engage in. The victim allegedly sent White several sexually explicit images of herself, the affidavit says, and White in turn sent her a nude image of himself. White also sent the victim approximately three dozen images depicting horses and dogs engaged in the sexually explicit abuse of females of varying and indeterminate age, according to the affidavit.
White told investigators he engaged in sexual activity with the victim at numerous locations in the metropolitan area, the affidavit says. White said he engaged in similar sexual discussions with approximately “50 to 100” other females, a number of whom were underage, via Facebook and other means. To date, investigators have identified approximately a dozen underage females with whom White has engaged in sexually explicit chat and online communications.
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by 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."
Honduran National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Honduran national was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally reentering the United States.
Luis Arnold Lopez-Lara, 25, a citizen of Honduras residing in Brookline, Mo., was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.
Today’s indictment alleges that Lopez-Lara entered the United States without permission after having been deported on Feb. 16, 2010. Lopez-Lara was found in Greene County, Mo., on April 17, 2017.
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Cabool Business Owner Indicted for Dumping Grease into Big Piney RiverRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Cabool, Mo., man and his grease recycling company were indicted by a federal grand jury today for violating the Clean Water Act by dumping grease into the Big Piney River.
Brian Dale Fleming, 50, of Cabool, and BF Byproducts, LLC, were charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.
BF Byproducts (formerly Fleming Recycling) is a grease-recycling business owned by Fleming. BF Byproducts uses trucks to collect used grease from hundreds of restaurants in Missouri, Arkansas and elsewhere. The grease is transported to the Cabool facility, where it is recycled for resale and a profit.
BF Products and Fleming allegedly discharged spent cooking oil, a pollutant, into the Big Piney River in March and April 2015.
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Texas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Cabool, Mo., Police Department.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Firearm Used in ShootingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm that was involved in a local shooting.
Michael A. Sheehan, 39, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Sheehan was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Dec. 13, 2016, Sheehan pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sheehan admitted he was in possession of a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol when he was arrested on May 11, 2016. Springfield police officers located Sheehan during their investigation into an incident a few days earlier in which Sheehan shot and injured another person. An officer removed the firearm, which was the same firearm used in the shooting, from Sheehan’s waistband.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Sheehan has two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Larison. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Osage Beach Woman Pleads Guilty to Stolen Mail, Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Osage Beach, Mo., woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to a scheme to use stolen mail and stolen identities to cash fraudulent checks at area banks.
Chrystal Lynn Bernstein, 27, of Osage Beach, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Knox on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Bernstein admitted that she engaged in a scheme to obtain stolen mail (including checks), then use stolen identities to cash and deposit the checks at several banks in Boone and Camden Counties from December 2016 to Feb. 16, 2017.
Bernstein opened accounts at Central Bank of the Lake of the Ozarks and at Landmark Bank in the names of persons whose names and Social Security numbers she obtained without their permission or knowledge. Bernstein admitted she altered the payee on some of the stolen checks she obtained in order to cash them in the names of a mother and daughter in California whose identities she had stolen. She also admitted that she deposited a stolen check into a fraudulent bank account that was opened under another person’s name. Bernstein also passed a bad check for $826 at a Columbia, Mo., business using a stolen identity.
The victims of Bernstein scheme sustained a total loss to date of approximately $13,947.
Bernstein was arrested during a traffic stop on Feb. 1, 2017, in Lake Ozark. She was in possession of a driver’s license, Social Security card and credit card bearing another person’s name. Bernstein was able to bond out and was released.
On Feb. 16, 2017, Bernstein attempted to cash a check at Central Bank. Bernstein was arrested as she returned to her residence, driving a vehicle with a reported stolen license plate. Law enforcement officers searched the vehicle and found checks and money orders in the trunk that had been stolen from two additional victims.
Under federal statutes, Bernstein is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole for bank fraud, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in federal prison without parole 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Lake Ozark, Mo., Police Department, the Osage Beach, Mo., Police Department, the Camdenton, Mo., Police Department and the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Fulton Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography After Lost Cell Phone Is Turned InRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Fulton, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving and distributing child pornography after his lost cell phone, which contained images of child pornography, was turned in to law enforcement.
Anthony Quin Hodges, 51, of Fulton, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Knox to the charge contained in a Feb. 15, 2017, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Hodges admitted that he had been viewing child pornography from a variety of websites for approximately two to three years and storing the images on his Google Photos account. Hodges used his cell phone for searching, maintaining and distributing images of child pornography.
Two Fulton residents turned in the phone, which Hodges said had been lost or stolen, to the Fulton Police Department on Jan. 17, 2017, after they found it abandoned in their driveway. Prior to reporting the incident to law enforcement, the residents powered on the phone to try to identify the owner. Upon trying to locate the owner of the phone, they discovered images child pornography. One of the residents also opened the Facebook icon and observed a Facebook page for Hodges. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the phone and discovered pornographic images of prepubescent children as well as links to apparent child pornography websites.
Hodges also admitted sending unsolicited images of child pornography to an individual. Investigators interviewed the individual who received the text message from Hodges, which contained child pornography. The individual reported he received pornographic images of prepubescent females from Hodges on several occasions. He did not solicit these images, and repeatedly told Hodges to stop sending him child pornography. The individual repeatedly warned Hodges it was illegal to possess child pornography.
Hodges was already under investigation at the time his cell phone was turned in to law enforcement. On October 24, 2016, a Boone County Cyber Crimes Taskforce detective received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Google had filed a complaint about an account holder, later identified as Hodges, who uploaded images of child pornography to Google Photos. Shortly after Hodges was identified by law enforcement, his cell phone was turned in to the police department.
Under federal statutes, Hodges is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI, the Boone County Cyber Crimes Taskforce and the Fulton, 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."
Counterfeiter Sentenced for Scheme in Southern Missouri, Nevada, CaliforniaRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a man who lived in his travel trailer was sentenced in federal court today for a counterfeiting scheme that victimized businesses across the United States.
Stuart E. Thurber, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. Today’s sentence reflects an upward variance from the recommendation under the federal sentencing guidelines. The court also ordered Thurber to pay $9,000 in restitution to several Missouri businesses in Mountain View, Springfield and West Plains as well as businesses in Nevada and California.
On Sept. 6, 2016, Thurber pleaded guilty to possessing electronic images for the purpose of counterfeiting.
Thurber was arrested on April 5, 2016, by Mountain View, Mo., police officers for passing counterfeit $100 bills. When officers searched his truck and travel trailer in the Wal-Mart parking lot, they found three laptop computers, two hard drives and two printers. Thurber admitted that these items were used to print counterfeit $100 bills.
Thurber also acknowledged that the government could establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he engaged in counterfeiting from January 2014 to June 2016. Thurber, who lived in his Dodge Dakota pick-up and travel trailer, engaged in a counterfeiting operation whereby he “washed” the ink off of genuine bills and used his computer and color printer to create counterfeit $100 bills, which he then passed to unsuspecting businesses throughout the United States.
Thurber manufactured and passed at least 93 counterfeit $100 bills in the Western District of Missouri. Among the victims of Thurber’s criminal activity was Dollar General and Wal-Mart in Mountain View, Southern Supply in Springfield, Mo., and Dollar General in West Plains, Mo.
At the time of his arrest, Thurber attempted to avoid detection and punishment by claiming to be a citizen of New Zealand and presenting a counterfeit New Zealand identification card in the name David Turnbull.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Mountain View, Mo., Police Department, the Ozark, Mo., Police Department and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department.
Columbia Man Charged with Possessing Meth to DistributeRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with possessing methamphetamine to distribute.
Gary Deangelo Warren, 31, of Columbia was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a confidential informant – who identified Warren as his supplier – admitted to selling at least eight ounces of methamphetamine a day for the past two months. Columbia police officers seized approximately 119 grams of suspected methamphetamine from the confidential informant on May 8, 2017, during the execution of a search warrant at a motel room in Columbia.
At the direction of law enforcement, the confidential informant placed a series of text messages to Warren arranging to purchase eight ounces of methamphetamine. Warren was arrested when he arrived at the arranged meeting place for the sale. Warren was carrying a plastic bag with approximately 13 grams of suspected methamphetamine and a loaded Jimenez Arms .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Officers also found a plastic bag containing approximately 472 grams of methamphetamine inside a shoebox on the rear passenger floorboard of the vehicle Warren was driving.
Warren told investigators that he had arranged to meet with his source the following day to purchase one kilogram of methamphetamine.
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.
California Woman Charged for Transporting Eight Pounds of Fentanyl on BusRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a San Bernardino, Calif., woman was charged in federal court today after eight pounds of fentanyl were found in her luggage at a local bus station.
Esmeralda Castro, 18, of San Bernardino, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, a K-9 sniffing luggage at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station on Monday, May 8, 12017, detected narcotics in a large, grey, hard-sided suitcase. The suitcase had a baggage claim ticket with Castro’s name on it, indicating it was being transported to New York, N.Y. A Kansas City police detective located Castro in the bus station and she agreed to let him search her luggage.
Castro told the detective that she had two bags – the hard-sided suitcase in the luggage compartment under the bus and a black-colored rolling bag in the passenger compartment. The hard-sided suitcase in the luggage compartment contained several clear heat-sealed food saver bags with marijuana, methamphetamine, a large glass marijuana pipe and a pink marijuana pipe. The rolling bag had a false compartment sewn into the bottom of the liner. When a police detective told Castro he was going to have the K-9 conduct a check of the bag, she ran out the back doors of the luggage area, but was apprehended and arrested. Inside the rolling bag, detectives found three large bundles wrapped in black carbon paper. The bundles, which weighed approximately eight pounds, contained fentanyl.
Castro told investigators she was carrying the bag to New York for her boyfriend, and was supposed to meet someone there and then return with $1,500 to deliver to her boyfriend.
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Pratten. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Former Walnut Grove City Clerk Pleads Guilty to Embezzling City FundsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the former city clerk of Walnut Grove, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to a credit card fraud scheme in which she embezzled city funds.
Cari Gillmore, 45, of Springfield, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges her with credit card fraud.
By pleading guilty today, Gillmore admitted that she conducted financial transactions for personal expenses with credit cards that were issued to the city of Walnut Grove. Those purchases were made without the permission of city officials and were unrelated to the business or affairs of the city of Walnut Grove. Fraudulent credit card transactions conducted by Gillmore between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015, totaled $27,308. From January 2014 and June 13, 2016, Gillmore engaged in additional relevant conduct for a total loss amount of $67,598.
Under federal statutes, Gillmore is subject to a sentence of up to 15 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 the FBI and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a California man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine that was shipped from California to Springfield, Mo.
Romulo Frank Delatorre, 36, of Downey, Calif., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charge contained in a Dec. 9, 2015, federal indictment.
Co-defendants Michael E. Ford, 37, Lisa Renae Thompson, 39, and John R. Waits, 46, all of Springfield, have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Thompson was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole. Waits and Ford, who also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug-trafficking conspiracy, have not been sentenced.
By pleading guilty today, Delatorre admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from June 1 through Sept. 11, 2015. Delatorre shipped methamphetamine from California to Springfield in two- to two-and-a-half-pound increments to Thompson. Thompson picked up the packages at various hotels in the Springfield area then contacted Ford. Ford picked up the methamphetamine from Thompson and distributed it to others.
After a few days, Ford would then meet with Thompson and give her $10,800. Thompson kept $800 and sent $10,000 to Delatorre.
Thompson admitted that she received approximately 24 pounds of methamphetamine, which she gave to Ford. Thompson also kept some of the methamphetamine and sold it directly to others with the assistance of Waits. Waits sold methamphetamine to an undercover agent on several occasions in June and July 2015. He participated in the conspiracy for six weeks and is responsible for the distribution of 12 pounds of methamphetamine.
After Thompson was arrested on Sept. 11, 2015, Ford began receiving methamphetamine shipments from Delatorre. On Sept. 30, 2015, the Springfield Police Department received a phone call from a FedEx employee about a suspicious package. Police officers delivered the 2.2-pound package of methamphetamine to Ford at a Springfield residence, where he was arrested. Ford had a Ruger .22-caliber handgun in his possession.
Under federal statutes, Delatorre 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. 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 Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Independence Man Sentenced for Altercation with Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for engaging in an altercation with federal law enforcement officers.
Jermaine Arrington, 33, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to five years and 11 months in federal prison without parole for impeding or obstructing an officer. The court also sentenced Arrington to a consecutive two years in prison for violating his supervised release, for a total of seven years and 11 months in federal prison without parole.
Arrington pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2016. Arrington admitted that, while in custody, he lunged at a deputy marshal. Arrington was tackled by two deputies and taken to the ground. A deputy suffered injuries during the altercation, including a broken thumb.
Arrington was arrested on Jan. 8, 2016, for violating his supervised release after serving a six-year sentence in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Upon arrival at the U.S. Marshals’ detention facility, Arrington’s handcuffs were removed so that he could be searched. Immediately after the handcuffs were removed, Arrington reached inside his shoe and grabbed a clear baggy containing marijuana. He stuffed the baggy into his mouth, began chewing it, and began yelling, “what now?” A deputy directed Arrington to spit the item from his mouth into the trash.
According to court documents, Arrington took a few steps towards the trash and then lunged at the deputy, while clinching his fist. Two deputies took Arrington to the ground, attempting to handcuff him, but he refused to release his hands from under his chest. One deputy struck Arrington in the side with his knee, while the second deputy attempted to remove Arrington’s arms from under his chest area. A third deputy arrived with handcuffs and, after a brief struggle, Arrington was handcuffed and leg restraints applied.
According to court documents, Arrington’s prior convictions include two misdemeanor convictions for aggravated assault, which involved assaulting an officer, and three misdemeanor convictions for simple assault. In addition, there are multiple occasions on record when Arrington resisted arrest, assaulted or hindered law enforcement officers performing their duties. During his arrest in the federal case for which he was under supervised release, Arrington ran from police officers and continued to resist arrest after being tased.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
California Woman Pleads Guilty to $6.6 Million K2 ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Roseville, Calif., woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in a conspiracy to distribute more than $6.6 million of synthetic cannabinoids, also known as K2, at Callaway County, Mo., businesses.
Sheila Marie Nawaz, 40, of Roseville, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, to participating in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud from Dec. 18, 2012, to July 16, 2015.
Nawaz was the president of eComm Organix, Inc., a California distributor of “novelty products.” eComm Organix purchased synthetic cannabinoids from other businesses then distributed those synthetic cannabinoids to retail customers throughout the United States via the U.S. Postal Service.
By pleading guilty, Nawaz agreed that she accumulated approximately $806,260 in gross proceeds attributable to this conduct. Nawaz obtained approximately 179,169 grams of synthetic cannabinoids for distribution at approximately $4.50 per gram.
During the conspiracy, eComm Organix mailed approximately 2,359 retail packages of synthetic cannabinoids to customers in the state of Missouri. The labels on these synthetic cannabinoids misidentified the contents as “incense,” “aroma therapy” or “potpourri” that were “not for human consumption.” In fact, these products were drugs intended for human consumption as a drug. Conspirators mislabeled packages of synthetic cannabinoids for the purpose of avoiding government regulation over these drugs, and to protect the continued sale of these drugs.
Nawaz is among eight co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case. Shawn Michael Browning, 26, Timothy Christopher Sandfort, 31, Joshua Adam Sheets, 31, and Brandon Derek Rader, 32, all of Fulton, Mo., also pleaded guilty to participating in the mail fraud conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy during that time; both conspiracies were related to the distribution of synthetic cannabinoids. Dara Leanne Shirley, 31, of Fulton, pleaded guilty to participating in the money-laundering conspiracy. Casey Dewayne Miller, 32, of Columbia, and Billie L. Bruce, 36, of Jefferson City, each pleaded guilty to distributing synthetic cannabinoids.
According to court documents, the drug-trafficking conspiracy generated $6,656,843 in gross proceeds. Rader and Sandfort each acknowledged that his conduct directly contributed to the generation of approximately $4,544,700 of that total. Browning and Sheets each acknowledged that his conduct directly contributed to the generation of approximately $2,112,142 of that total.
Sandfort, Rader, Shirley, Miller and others operated First Stop Last Stop Pawn & Aromatherapy, Inscentives Resale and Inscentives Auto. First Stop Last Stop Pawn & Aromatherapy represented itself as a “pawn shop” and “potpourri store.” Inscentives Resale was represented to be a “buy, sell, and trade business.” Inscentives Auto held a Missouri motor vehicle dealer’s license. Browning, Sheets, Bruce and others operated Esscentials Resale and S&J Tobacco.
These businesses purchased synthetic cannabinoids from co-conspirators in California and Nevada. At least 251 shipments of synthetic cannabinoids were made via FedEx and UPS. Inscentives Resale sold synthetic cannabinoids from locations in Auxvasse, Mo., and Fulton. Esscentials Resale and S&J Tobacco sold synthetic cannabinoids from locations in Holts Summit, Mo.
Browning, Sandfort, Sheets, Rader and others obtained packages of synthetic cannabinoids from co-conspirators and periodically supplied each other with packages of synthetic cannabinoids for resale.
Under federal statutes, Nawaz is subject to a sentence of up to 20 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 Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the DEA Task Force – Jefferson City, DEA Sacramento, Calif., DEA Reno, Nev., IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the MUSTANG Drug Task Force, the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Cole County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department, the Fulton, Mo., Police Department and the Holts Summit, Mo., Police Department.
Two More Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Lure Robbery Victims with Online Ads for EscortsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Sugar Creek, Mo., woman and an Independence, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a conspiracy to use online escort and massage ads to lure robbery victims.
Nicole L. Covey, 34, of Sugar Creek, and Devon Davis-Aumua, 22, of Independence, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to the robbery conspiracy. Covey also pleaded guilty to five counts of aiding and abetting robberies. Davis-Aumua also pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting a robbery and to being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
Co-defendant Sage E. Harrison, 35, of Independence, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, to his role in the robbery conspiracy and to two counts of aiding and abetting robberies.
By pleading guilty today, Covey and Davis-Aumua each admitted they participated in the conspiracy to commit robbery from April 1, 2015, to June 7, 2016. Conspirators used several websites (including craigslist.org, backpage.com and skout.com) to make connections with their victims and arrange meetings at local hotels, residences and apartments. Covey’s photo was used in the online ads. When customers arrived to meet Covey, conspirators would be lying in wait, armed with firearms and weapons that appeared to be firearms, and rob the customers.
Covey also admitted that she aided and abetted in the commission of five specific robberies in October 2015 in Kansas City-North, Independence and North Kansas City. Davis-Aumua admitted that he aided and abetted one of the robberies at an apartment in Kansas City-North on Oct. 8, 2015.
On Oct. 10, 2015, Independence police officers arrested Davis-Aumua in the parking lot of an Independence hotel at approximately 3:33 a.m. Davis-Aumua was in possession of methamphetamine and a stolen Springfield XDS .45-caliber pistol. He was also in possession of the keys to another robbery victim’s truck, which was discovered nearby out of gas. That victim, identified in court documents as “H.G.”, had been robbed by co-conspirators at the same Kansas City-North apartment on Oct. 9, 2015. A co-conspirator forced H.G. to his truck and searched it for further items to steal. This co-conspirator threatened to shoot H.G. if he didn’t produce the title to the vehicle. This co-conspirator forced H.G. to ride in the passenger seat, while the co-conspirator drove H.G.’s vehicle. This co-conspirator again threatened to shoot H.G. if he did not produce the title. While driving at highway speeds, H.G. jumped from the moving vehicle in fear for his life and sustained injuries.
Agents recovered a laptop computer and a notebook from the location of the apartment robbery and discovered information about several e-mail and social media accounts used by conspirators. Records obtained from Facebook revealed multiple communications about the robberies. For example, a Facebook message from one of Covey’s accounts stated, “My man and some of my friends, we drop pockets on backpage clients.” The term “dropping pockets” has been used by several of these individuals and is known to be a reference to conducting a robbery.
According to Backpage.com records, posts were placed in the sections “Body Rubs,” “Escorts,” and “Domination & Fetish” sections, using several different names. The records identified 31 different phone numbers which were posted in the associated ads, and that 126 separate posts were made.
Records obtained from Craigslist related to phone numbers and email addresses used in the robberies revealed 11 related accounts. Those 11 accounts had been used to post 89 ads between Sept. 28, 2015 and Jan. 7, 2016. According to Craigslist records, posts were predominantly placed in the “Casual Encounters” section using approximately 27 different names.
Under federal statutes, Harrison is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole on each count. Davis-Aumua is subject to a sentence of up to 50 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 Matthew P. Wolesky. It was investigated by the FBI, and the Independence, Mo., Police Department, with assistance from the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the North Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Joseph E. Finch, 38, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Finch was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Nov. 3, 2016, Finch pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Finch was arrested on Oct. 27, 2015, when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence. Finch was in possession of 9.83 grams of methamphetamine, .21 gram of heroin, 3.5 grams of marijuana and $900. Officers found a Hi-Point .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol and 32 rounds of ammunition inside a cooking stove on the back porch of the residence. More ammunition was found in a storage shed.
Finch admitted to law enforcement officers that he was a drug dealer.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Finch has two prior felony convictions for distributing cocaine and prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and distributing crack cocaine.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving and distributing child pornography.
Michael V. Lucas, 31, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to the charge contained in a Sept. 28, 2016, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Lucas admitted that he received and distributed child pornography from Jan. 1, 2016, to Sept. 22, 2016.
According to court documents, a federal law enforcement agent in Phoenix, Ariz., encountered a person later identified as Lucas among the participants who were live streaming images and videos of child pornography over the Internet on Sept. 15, 2016. During the live streaming session, Lucas claimed to have molested two 13- and 16-year-old victims and said he would attempt to broadcast a future sexual encounter with the victims.
Lucas was partially visible in a reflection during the live stream. The federal agent engaged in two additional live streaming sessions that day in which Lucas participated and continued to share images and videos of child pornography.
On Sept. 19, 2016, Lucas was identified by the agent posting messages in a known pedophile group. These messages described the number of videos he possessed as well as advertising his new Skype group. Lucas was live streaming videos of child pornography and his reflection could be seen. Lucas also shared two links to a Dropbox account that contained images of child pornography and claimed that he was in possession of more than 1,000 videos of child pornography.
On Sept. 20, 2016, Lucas was live streaming and moved the position of the camera to show his face. Lucas also displayed a handgun and loaded magazine for the weapon during the course of the stream.
A federal law enforcement agent in Springfield executed a search warrant at Lucas’s residence on Sept. 22, 2016, and Lucas was arrested.
Under federal statutes, Lucas is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes 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 Faces Additional Charges for Jimmy John's Robbery, CarjackingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today on additional charges related to the armed robbery of a Jimmy John’s restaurant and a carjacking.
Terry K. Rayford, 54, of Kansas City, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Rayford on April 28, 2017, and includes additional charges.
The federal indictment contains the original charge of being a felon in possession of firearms. Rayford is also charged with one count of carjacking, one count of armed robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to the federal indictment, the charges stem from two incidents that occurred on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. Rayford allegedly robbed the Jimmy John’s restaurant, located at 3900 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Mo., at gunpoint. Rayford is also charged with brandishing a Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun during that robbery.
Rayford allegedly stole a 1998 Ford Econoline E350 van at gunpoint on the same day. Rayford is also charged with using or brandishing a Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Jimenez 9mm semi-automatic handgun during the carjacking.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Rayford has 13 felony convictions for robbery and he was on parole at the time of the alleged offenses.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the firearms were found in Rayford’s vehicle after he was stopped by Independence, Mo., police officers at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2017. Officers received information about a person matching the description of the suspect in the Jimmy John’s restaurant the day before. A retired major with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department had seen video of the robbery broadcast on the news and saw Rayford – who appeared to be the robbery suspect – driving in the area of 40 Highway and Crysler in Independence.
Independence police officers responded to the area and stopped Rayford’s vehicle. When they ordered him to get out of his vehicle, officers found the Witness-P .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun lying on the driver’s side floorboard. Rayford was arrested and his vehicle towed. During an inventory of the vehicle, the Jimenez 9mm semi-automatic handgun was found in the back pouch of the front passenger seat.
Rayford told investigators he had stolen both of the handguns from his source of supply for crack cocaine, to whom he owed money.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Nixa Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Bitcoin ExchangeRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nixa, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conducting an illegal money transmitting business by exchanging bitcoin for cash without a license.
Jason R. Klein, 37, of Nixa, 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 conducting an unlicensed and unregistered money transmitting business.
Klein was the founder of two technology-based companies: Logic Forte and Datality Networks. Logic Forte purportedly provided consulting and computer programming assistance for the restaurant industry. Datality Networks purportedly provided Internet housing and network consulting.
Klein is the president of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (“AITP”) – Southwest Missouri. AITP is a professional association focused on technology education for business professionals. AITP’s southwest Missouri chapter has approximately 230 members and is the largest chapter in the United States.
By pleading guilty today, Klein admitted that he represented himself on the Internet to be a bitcoin exchanger. However, Klein was not a licensed money transmitter with the state of Missouri or with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, as required by federal and state law.
An undercover federal agent responded to an online advertisement posted by Klein. Klein told the undercover agent that his rate included a 10 percent commission “for an in-person $1,000 cash exchange.”
Between Feb. 6, 2015, and July 27, 2016, Klein, acting with another, met with two undercover federal agents on numerous occasions to exchange bitcoin for cash. Today’s plea agreement cites five separate transactions in which money (ranging from $1,000 to $15,000) was exchanged in person for an electronic transfer of bitcoin. Each of the transactions included a fee that Klein or another person charged the undercover agents, for a total of $2,122 in fees.
Under federal statutes, Klein is subject to a sentence of up to five 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.
Bitcoin Background
Bitcoin are not illegal in and of themselves and have legitimate uses. Bitcoin are a decentralized form of electronic currency, existing entirely on the Internet and not in any physical form. The currency is not issued by any government, bank, or company, but rather is generated and controlled automatically through computer software operating on a “peer-to-peer” network. Bitcoin transactions are processed collectively by the software-enabled computers composing the network.
To acquire bitcoin in the first instance, a user typically must purchase them from a bitcoin “exchanger.” In return for a commission, bitcoin exchangers accept payments of currency in some conventional form, including cash, and exchange the money for a corresponding number of bitcoin, based on a fluctuating exchange rate. Exchangers also accept payments of bitcoin and exchange the bitcoin back for conventional currency, again, charging a commission for the service.
Once a user acquires bitcoin from an exchanger, the bitcoin are kept in a “wallet” associated with a bitcoin “address,” designated by a complex string of letters and numbers. The “address” is analogous to the account number for a bank account, while the “wallet” is analogous to a bank safe where the money in the account is physically stored. Once a bitcoin user funds his wallet, the user can then use bitcoin in the wallet to conduct financial transactions over the Internet by transferring bitcoin from his bitcoin address to the bitcoin address of another user.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
New Haven Man Sentenced for Enticing a Minor for SexRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a New Haven, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for attempting to entice or coerce a 14-year-old victim (actually an undercover law enforcement officer) to engage in illicit sex.
Jason M. Strubberg, 27, of New Haven, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
Strubberg was convicted at trial on Sept. 21, 2016, of one count of attempting to entice or coerce a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.
A detective with the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department posted an undercover online advertisement on Jan. 6, 2016, as part of an investigation to seek out potential sexual predators. Strubberg responded with several e-mails the same day. The decoy provided Strubberg with a phone number and told him she was looking for someone to help with her 14-year-old daughter’s respect issues.
Strubberg told the decoy he was a dominant person and agreed to help the decoy with her 14-year-old daughter as long as the decoy would sign a contract giving him permission to do so. Strubberg was sent two images of the decoy’s daughter, who he believed to be 14 years of age. Over the course of the next two days, Strubberg described his plans for sexual conduct, including deviate sexual intercourse with the decoy’s daughter.
Strubberg sent a contract to the decoy by text message and asked her to print and sign the contract granting him permission to engage in sexual conduct with the decoy’s daughter.
After further e-mail correspondence, Strubberg asked the decoy and her daughter to meet in person so that he could spend the day with them engaging in sexual conduct. On Jan. 8, 2016, Strubberg arrived at the meeting place and was arrested.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence Miller. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and its cyber crimes task force, the FBI and the University of Missouri 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 Woman Sentenced for $1.5 Million Embezzlement Schemes, Identity TheftRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for a series of embezzlement schemes totaling more than $1.5 million.
Patricia Webb, 44, of Lee’s Summit, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Webb to pay $1,564,745 in restitution to her victims.
On Nov. 22, 2016, Webb pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Webb has been in federal custody since her bond was revoked by the court for unrelated fraudulent conduct. While on pretrial release in this case, the government received information that Webb had submitted fraudulent documents to potential employers. She informed an employment agency that she was not the person in the news related to this case, and that someone had stolen her identity. Webb also submitted an altered version of the criminal complaint filed in this case to the employment agency. Based upon this information, the court revoked her bond and she was remanded to custody.
Webb admitted that she embezzled at least $1,526,594 in total from Garmin International, Black and Veatch and TriStar Benefit Administrators over the course of four years, 2012 through 2016. Webb registered a business in the name of “Beauty Within Me” and opened a bank account in the name of the business. She then utilized this bank account to divert money stolen from her victims.
Garmin Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she embezzled $1,255,175 million from Garmin while employed as a senior payroll specialist.
Webb caused Garmin to send 16 unauthorized Automated Clearing House payments (fund transfers, such as direct deposits and business-to-business payments) to her Beauty Within Me bank account from Feb. 24, 2012, to May 30, 2014. The payments were sent on behalf of then-current employees who were utilizing Garmin’s relocation program. Webb caused Garmin funds to be recorded to the in-transit employee’s W-2, under the code “P,” which was inflated to mask Webb’s embezzlement. After the clearing of the ACH payments, Webb would alter Garmin’s general ledger to reflect the fraudulent payments as “Relocation Expenses.”
Black and Veatch Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she embezzled $302,183 from Black and Veatch while employed as a global payroll manager. Webb was employed by Black and Veatch from January 2015 until March 4, 2016 and earned $90,000 per year. Webb facilitated unauthorized wire transfers and ACH transactions from the company’s payroll account to her Beauty Within Me business bank account.
An analysis of Webb’s bank account shows a large amount of spending at casinos and cash withdrawals at casinos.
TriStar Embezzlement Scheme
Webb admitted that she stole the identity of another employee while she was working at Garmin in order to embezzle $7,385 from TriStar Benefit Administrators, the company which managed Garmin’s healthcare savings accounts.
Webb used the personal identifiable information of another Garmin employee to create a flexible spending account without his knowledge or consent. Webb submitted a request for reimbursement to TriStar in the name of this employee on July 18, 2011. The request was for hospital treatment in the amount of $7,385 and the payment from TriStar was sent to Webb’s bank account.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI.