Southern District of Illinois

EAST  ST.  LOUIS,  Ill.  –  Yesterday  afternoon,  a  federal  grand  jury  in  East  St.  Louis   returned  an indictment  charging  a  former  owner  and  two  top  tier  executives  of  a  south  
Florida  telemarketing business known as Simple Health with federal fraud offense.   Former owner 
Steven Dorfman, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, former Chief Compliance Officer, Candida L. Girouard,  45, of Valrico, FL, and former Vice President of Sales John A. Sand, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, FL,  were all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, four counts of mail  fraud, and eight counts of wire fraud.
Simple Health, also known as Health Benefits One, sold health insurance policies over the phone. 
The  vast  majority  of  the  policies  sold  by  Simple  Health  were  limited  indemnity  plans.  
Limited indemnity plans have a relatively low cap on the amount of medical expenses they will  cover.   After those caps are reached, the patients are responsible for paying 100% of their  medical expenses out of their own pockets.

The  indictment  alleges  that  Simple  Health  employed  a  deceptive  sales  script  to  trick   people  into purchasing the limited indemnity plans.   Among other things, the script required the 
Simple Health salespersons to tell the customers that:   “The whole idea of this plan is to make  your out of pocket expenses as low as possible . . . .” and “When all is said and done, you end up  with pennies on the dollar!!”   Relying on these and other false and misleading representations, thousands of people across the country purchased limited indemnity plans from Simple Health.   According to the  indictment, after customers purchased these policies, they frequently called Simple Health’s 
Customer Service Department and complained that (1) they had incurred significant medical expenses  that they had been led to believe would be covered, but were not; (2) their doctors and hospitals  did not accept the limited indemnity plans; and (3) their prescription drug costs were not covered,  contrary to what they were told when the purchased the policies.

In October 2018, the Federal Trade Commission’s Midwest Regional Office in Chicago took action to  prevent Simple Health from defrauding any additional consumers.   The complaint filed by the FTC  requested that the federal court in south Florida enter an injunction prohibiting Simple Health  from violating federal consumer protection laws.   In addition, at the request of the FTC, the  court appointed a receiver take over operations of the business.   The litigation in that case is ongoing.

“We credit the Federal Trade Commission for their continued vigilance to protect the community from  predatory  and  unscrupulous  businesses  operating  online,”  said  United  States  Attorney  
Steven  D. Weinhoeft. “Crimes like those alleged in the indictment rob people of their hard-earned  money, but worse, they have catastrophic consequences when expected insurance benefits aren’t there  in a time of need. These offenses ruin lives and must be dealt with harshly.”
The  indictment  charges  that  from  May  4,  2012,  through  November  1,  2018,  Simple  Health   sold policies  to  over  400,000  people  nationwide,  generating  revenues  to  Simple  Health  of   more  than $190,000,000.    Simple  Health  sold  1,175  policies  to  individuals  residing  in  all  38   counties  that comprise the Southern District of Illinois.

Dorfman, Girouard, and Sand are scheduled to appear in federal court in East St. Louis on Monday,  March 7, 2022, for their arraignments.   Because the alleged scheme was conducted via telemarketing  and victimized ten or more persons over the age of 55, the maximum penalty for the conspiracy count  is 30 years, pursuant to the SCAMS Act.   Each of the mail and wire fraud counts carries a maximum  sentence of up to 20 years in prison.   In addition, the defendants can be ordered to pay full  restitution to the victims.

U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft of the Southern District of Illinois made the announcement. The 
St. Louis Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Verseman and Peter Reed are prosecuting the case.

East St. Louis, Ill. – A federal prisoner originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, and imprisoned at 
Federal Correctional Institution Greenville, pled guilty on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, to  assaulting a federal correctional officer in August of 2020.
At the time of the offense, Dakota Holland, 26, was incarcerated at FCI-Greenville serving a six 
(6) year sentence for gun and drug conviction stemming from the Southern District of Indiana. 
Holland pled guilty to throwing a hard object at a guard which struck the officer in the face below  the eye. The officer did not require medical treatment as a result of the assault.

In  September  of  2020,  a  federal  grand  jury  indicted  Holland.  Holland  faces  a  maximum   of  eight additional years in prison.   Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2022.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Trippi.

East St. Louis, Ill. – Demarko Hines, 50, of Cahokia Heights, Illinois, was sentenced today to five  years federal prison for distributing crystal methamphetamine. Hines will also serve a four-year  term of supervised release following his release from federal prison.
On February 23, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Hines and his brother, Laquan Hines, for a drug  transaction  that  occurred  in  August  of  2020.  Demarko  Hines  pled  guilty  on  September  
18,  2021. Laquan Hines remains innocent until proven guilty.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Trippi.

East St. Louis, Ill. – Paul L. Jansen, 26, of Damiansville, Illinois, was sentenced on Wednesday,  February  16,  2022,  to  188  months  imprisonment  for  attempted  enticement  of  a  minor  and  enticement  of  a  minor.  The  sentence  will  run  concurrently  for  both  counts.  Jansen  was   also sentenced to 15 years supervised release, fined $400 ($200 per count), and ordered to pay a 
$200 special assessment fee.
According to the stipulation of facts agreed to by the parties, Jansen attempted to persuade,  induce, entice, and coerce two victims he knew to be under the age of 18, to engage in sexual  activity. Jansen contacted the victims using a cellular phone and the internet.   The acts occurred  between October 27, 2017, and November 25, 2018.

Evidence adduced at sentencing was that Jansen would often initiate contact with females, the  majority of whom were minors, and within a short time, ask to set up a meeting.   The investigation  revealed instances of this behavior in several cities in the Metro East area.

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.”

The case was investigated by the O’Fallon, Illinois, Police Department and the United States Secret 
Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott prosecuted the case.

East St. Louis, Ill. – Armon R. Simpson, 18, and Jamariante N. Burgess, 19, both of East St. Louis,  Illinois, have been charged by superseding indictment with Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking,  Carjacking,  and  Use  of  a  Firearm  During  a  Crime  of  Violence.  Both  men  have  been   ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, between July 12, 2021, and August 5, 2021, Simpson, Burgess, and   others,  conspired  to  commit  armed  carjackings,  including  three  carjackings  in  the  
Eastern District of Missouri and the Southern District of Illinois. The final carjacking prior to  their arrest occurred on August 5, 2021. Burgess and Simpson approached a vehicle in downtown Saint 
Louis, Missouri, displayed firearms at the passengers, and forcibly took their vehicle. Afterwards,  they fled to East St. Louis, Illinois, where they shot a man walking in an apartment complex and  then discarded the stolen vehicle.

If convicted, Simpson and Burgess face up to 15 years imprisonment on the Carjacking charge, 5  years for Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking, and an additional sentence of 7 years for Using a 
Firearm during a Crime of Violence, which must run consecutive to all other sentences.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty  beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This  case  was  brought  as  part  of  Project  Safe  Neighborhoods  (PSN),  the  centerpiece  of   the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program  proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders  work together  to  identify  the  most  pressing  violent  crime  problems  in  the  community  and   develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement  efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry  programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was investigated by the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG), the East St. Louis Police Department, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and Saint Louis County Police Department. PSEG is a newly formed Illinois State Police unit embedded in and working in direct partnership with the East St. Louis Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns is prosecuting the case.
 

East St. Louis, Ill – Kenesha Burlison, 40, of St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty on Thursday,  February 10, 2022, to a two-count felony information charging her with theft from an organization  receiving federal funds and aggravated identity theft.
Burlison served as the Director of Human Relations for Call for Help, Inc., beginning in 2016. Call  for Help is a longstanding charitable organization in East St. Louis, Illinois, that helps people  overcome a variety of personal crises, ranging from sexual assault and poverty to homelessness and  mental health issues. The organization receives federal funds annually to assist in carrying out  its mission.

“Federal charges, carrying a mandatory minimum prison sentence, were appropriate here because the 
Defendant  stole  so  much  money  that  would  have  provided  needed  services  to  vulnerable   victims, including sexual assault survivors and the homeless,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. 
Weinhoeft.

“An organization dedicated to assisting victims of trauma and families in crisis holds high  expectations for honesty and integrity from its director,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge David 
Nanz.   “Kenesha Burlison demonstrated bold disregard for her co-workers and the people who depend  on Call for Help to  survive.  The  FBI  is  dedicated  to  investigating  those,  like  Burlison,   who  choose  to  deceive  and defraud others while stealing taxpayer dollars.”

According to court documents, Burlison fraudulently obtained a cashier’s check from Call for Help  in the amount of $69,788.62, which she used to pay the down payment for a home she was purchasing. 
Burlison told Call for Help that she needed a  cashier’s check to provide  to the title company and  claimed that she couldn’t get one from her bank because it was closed. In exchange for the  cashier’s check, Burlison provided Call for Help with a personal check in the amount of $70,000. 
That check, as well as two others provided by Burlison in the coming months, bounced for  insufficient funds.

Following  her  termination  from  the  organization,  Call  for  Help  discovered  that  Burlison   had  also fraudulently submitted requests for reimbursements that she was not entitled to from the  organization that exceeded $100,000. These reimbursements were paid to Burlison.

In addition to the charge relating to her theft from Call for Help, Burlison also pled guilty to  aggravated identity theft. Court documents alleged that, in connection with her mortgage  application, Burlison submitted a fraudulent income verification with a forged signature of the 
Director of Quality Assurance at Call for Help.

Theft from an organization receiving federal funds carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison  and a fine of up to $250,000. Burlison faces a mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment for  aggravated identity theft, which must run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the fraud count. 
In addition, Burlison could also be ordered to pay restitution to her victims.

Burlison is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2022. A federal district court judge will  determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory  factors.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Springfield Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Zoe J. Gross is prosecuting the case.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Brylon Engelkins, 21, of Centralia, Illinois, was sentenced to 36 months in  prison for possessing a firearm by a felon. Upon his release, Engelkins will be supervised by 
United States Probation for a period of three years.   Additionally, Engelkins must pay a $300 fine  and a $100 special assessment fee.
According  to  court  documents,  Engelkins  possessed  a  9mm  Diamondback  pistol  while  on  supervised release for Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, a prior federal  conviction  from  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois.    Engelkins’  current  sentence  will  be   served consecutive to the sentence previously imposed for violating his supervised release.

This case was investigated by the FBI - Springfield Division Safe Streets Task Force, the United
States Marshal’s Service, and the Centralia Police Department.

Fairview  Heights,  Ill.  –  U.S.  Attorney  General  Merrick  B.  Garland  today  released  the  
Justice Department’s  new National  Strategy  to  Combat  Human  Trafficking pursuant  to  the  
Justice  for Victims of Trafficking Act.

Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat 
Human    Trafficking,    which    President    Biden released on    Dec.    3,    2021,    the    
Justice Department's National  Strategy is  expansive  in  scope.   It  aims  to  enhance  the   department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases; and to  support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.

“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and   endanger  some  of  the  most  vulnerable  members  of  our  society  and  cause  their  victims  unimaginable   harm.   The   Justice   Department’s   new National   Strategy   to   Combat   Human 
Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”

“I am especially proud of our office’s efforts to combat the scourge of human trafficking,” said 
United  States  Attorney  Steven  D.  Weinhoeft.  “Over  the  past  year,  we  have  built  a  
Human Trafficking Task Force that has grown to almost 100 members. We have been particularly  effective providing training and outreach on labor trafficking, child abuse, and victims’ response  to trauma.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office also hosted an event featuring “Truckers Against 
Trafficking” to raise awareness to the indicators of human trafficking.

Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:

•     Strengthen  engagement,  coordination  and  joint  efforts  to  combat  human   trafficking  by prosecutors  in  all  94  U.S.  Attorneys’  Offices  and  by  federal  law   enforcement  agents nationwide.
•     Establish  federally-funded,  locally-led  anti-human  trafficking  task  forces   that  support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
•     Step up departmental efforts to end  forced labor  by increasing attention,   resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
•     Enhance  initiatives  to  reduce  vulnerability  of  American  Indians  and  Alaska  
Natives  to violent crime, including human trafficking, and to locate missing children.
•     Develop  and  implement  new  victim  screening  protocols  to  identify  potential   human trafficking  victims  during  law  enforcement  operations  and  encourage  victims  to   share important information.
•     Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors,  including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
•     Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
•     Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.

The  department’s  strategy  will  be  implemented  under  the  direction  of  the  National  Human 
Trafficking  Coordinator  designated  by  the  Attorney  General  in  accordance  with  the  
Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017.

If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact  the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at     1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.
To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.

East St. Louis, Ill. – John Fodero, 53, of Centralia, Illinois, was sentenced on Monday, January 
31, 2022, to five years in prison for maintaining a drug house within 1000 feet of a school.   
Fodero will serve six years of supervised release upon his release from prison.   Fodero was also  ordered pay a $5000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
According to court documents, Fodero allowed numerous persons to utilize his residence to buy,  sell,  and  use  illegal,  controlled  substances  including  fentanyl.  Area  emergency   personnel responded to overdose calls originating from his residence ten times within a ten-month  period during 2020 to 2021.

This case was investigated by the Centralia Police Department and the FBI-Springfield Division
Safe Streets Task Force.

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – United Ironworkers (“United”), D&K Welding Services (“D&K”), Kim Rasnick, and Dorrie Wise-Harris have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Illinois
$440,000 to resolve a civil False Claims Act investigation relating to fraud on the Disadvantaged 
Business Enterprise (“DBE”) programs of the United States and the State of Illinois U.S. Attorney 
Steven  D.  Weinhoeft  announced  today.  United  and  D&K  are  steel  construction  companies  operating on highway and bridge projects in Illinois and other midwestern states.

The  DBE  program  reflects  Congress’s  intent  to  combat  discrimination  against  minority  and  women-owned  businesses  on  federally-assisted  surface  transportation  work.  Under  the  DBE  regulations, only businesses independently owned and operated by a minority or woman may be  certified as a DBE.

The government alleged that, as a non-DBE, United and its President, Kim Rasnick, conspired with    a   DBE,   D&K,   and   its   President,   Dorrie   Wise-Harris,   to   provide   materially    false representations and information regarding ownership and control of D&K for DBE certification  and  recertification  purposes.  These  allegations  were  investigated  by  the  U.S.  Department   of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General and culminated in this settlement.

“The DBE program is designed to provide business opportunities to minority and women owned  businesses. Funds designated for that purpose should not be misallocated to    businesses masquerading as legitimate DBEs,” said United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.

Karl and Diana Jefferson, who own a steel construction firm in Southern Illinois,   brought  the allegations  to  light.  The  False  Claims  Act  permits  private  individuals  to   sue  on  behalf  of  the government  for  false  claims  and  to  share  in  any  recovery.  The   civil  lawsuit  was  filed  in  the Southern District of Illinois and is captioned United States et  al. v. United Ironworkers, Inc., et al., 17-cv-1402. The Jefferson’s will receive $79,200 from the  settlement proceeds.

This matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois and the
Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A former police officer in the Village of Alorton, Illinois, will be  spending time in federal prison after falsifying thousands of hours on his timesheets. Ricky Perry,  51, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 10 months confinement today, consisting of 5  months in prison and 5 months of home confinement after his release.

United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “The overwhelming majority of police officers are  honorable public servants who place their lives in harm’s way to protect the rest of us. But there  must be consequences for those rare situations when officers break the laws they swore to uphold. 
We will continue to enforce the law in an evenhanded way against all who break it.”

FBI  Special  Agent  in  Charge  David  Nanz  said,  “The  cornerstone  of  the  public’s  trust   in  law enforcement relies on the expectation that each person who takes the oath to protect and  serve the public will do so with integrity. The FBI is committed to maintaining trust in law  enforcement by holding all those who break the law accountable for their actions.”

According to court documents, Perry started as a patrol officer with the Alorton Police Department  in August 2017. Within his first six months, Perry began falsifying his timecards to hide the fact  that he wasn’t really patrolling the jurisdiction during his shifts. In fact, nearly every shift  that Perry claimed to be patrolling Alorton, he absconded from the jurisdiction without  justification or approval. He usually went to his home outside of Alorton, where he parked his  patrol car outside his house and sometimes ignored calls from dispatchers. Perry was often the only  patrol officer on duty at the time.

Between May 2018 and April 2021, Perry spent about 4,000 hours on the clock as an Alorton patrol   officer while improperly outside the jurisdiction. He received $60,346.25 based on his  misrepresentations. As part of his sentence, Perry was ordered to pay this money back in  restitution in addition to a small fine. He will also spend one year on supervised release after  his time in prison and home confinement.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force, which  consists of agents with FBI Springfield, and the Illinois State Police.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith and Luke J. Weissler.

Citizens are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public
Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.

East St. Louis, Ill. – Anthony Wisham, 60, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 135 months  imprisonment in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Wisham  previously pled guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with  intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
Wisham admitted to distributing ounce quantities of fentanyl on September 15, 2020, in East St. 
Louis, Illinois. On December 10, 2020, Wisham admitted he possessed, with the intent   to distribute, approximately 21.3 grams of cocaine while possessing a firearm. Wisham   is a convicted felon and prohibited from carrying a firearm.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.

Benton,  Ill.  –  Casey  L.  Neal,  31,  of  Belle  Rive,  Illinois  (Jefferson  County),  was   sentenced  this afternoon to 2 years’ probation and was ordered to pay restitution to her victims. 
Neal pled guilty in October 2021, to theft of mail by a postal service employee.
In January and February 2021, while working as a substitute sales and distribution clerk at the 
Belle Rive, Dahlgren, and Macedonia post offices, Neal stole over $300 worth of cash and gift cards  from greeting cards that were sent through those post offices. Neal used some of the gift cards to  purchase money orders used to pay her personal creditors. After being alerted to the thefts,  investigators located other gift cards from retailers and restaurants, including Dick’s Sporting 
Goods, Chik-fil-A, and Dairy Queen, which Neal had stolen from the mail.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zoe J. Gross.

Benton, Ill. – This morning, in federal court in Benton, Illinois, Billy E. Harris, the former treasurer of the Perry County Agricultural Society (“PCAS”), pled guilty to defrauding the PCAS out of more than $100,000.

The PCAS operates all of the festivals at the Perry County Fairgrounds in Pinckneyville, including the Perry County Fair. Harris, 48, currently of St. Louis, MO, served as the treasurer of the PCAS from 2011 through October 2018. When he appeared in court this morning, Harris admitted that from June 5, 2012 through October 3, 2018, he defrauded the PCAS out of more than $100,000. Specifically, Harris acknowledged that he paid his personal expenses, and purchased items for his personal use, with electronic debits from the PCAS bank account. Many of those items were purchased through Amazon. Some of the items that Harris admitted purchasing with PCAS funds include a WiFi router, Apple AirPods, a Himalyan Salt Lamp Air Purifier, Star Wars Darth Vader and Yoda personalized pet tags, a pair of Star Wars men’s sleep pants, a floating pool fountain, a CPAP tube cleaning brush, and men’s grooming products, including beard lube. Harris also admitted writing checks on the PCAS account payable to himself and his spouse, and forging a Board member’s signature on those checks.

Harris will be sentenced on May 5, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. The mail fraud charge on which Harris has been convicted carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to 3 years. In addition, Harris can be ordered to pay full restitution to the PCAS.

The St. Louis Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Pinckneyville Police Department investigated the case. The Perry County State’s Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuted the case.

East St. Louis, Ill. – An East St. Louis, Illinois, man was sentenced to ten years in federal prison today for dealing crack cocaine and illegally possessing firearms. Charles Curren, 51, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment for four counts of distribution of crack cocaine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. Curren faces an additional 60 months imprisonment for possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Curren will also serve a five-year term of supervised release following his release from federal prison as part of his sentence.

The crimes occurred between November 2019 and February 2020. The Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois (MEGSI) arrested Curren and conducted a search warrant at his East St. Louis residence on February 25, 2021. Police found over 300 packages of crack cocaine and five (5) firearms during the search of his home. Curren had been dealing crack cocaine from his home for at least one and a half years prior to his arrest. A federal grand jury indicted Curren in November of 2020, and Curren pled guilty on September 22, 2021.

The investigation was conducted by MEGSI, the Illinois State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Trippi.

ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge John A. Ross accepted a plea of guilty from Jalon Moore on today’s date.  Moore pleaded guilty to several counts of armed robbery and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence.  Judge Ross set sentencing for April 6, 2022.

According to the plea agreement, Moore and two co-defendants committed a string of armed robberies in 2019 within the Eastern District of Missouri.  Each of the robberies involved a yellow Camaro (which was used as the getaway car), the brandishing of firearms, and the taking or attempted taking of money from local businesses, by the use of force, threatened force, or violence. 

Moore and the others were responsible for robbing (or attempting to rob) the following businesses on the following dates:

• Mack Bar and Grill located at 4615 Macklind, St. Louis, Missouri on January 9, 2019;
• Jimmy John’s located at 6459 Chippewa Street, St. Louis, Missouri on February 9, 2019;
• Subway located at 1151 South Kingshighway Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri on February 17, 2019;
• Panda Express located at 4400 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri on March 18, 2019; and
• Sprint located at 5441 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri on March 21, 2019.

The other two defendants in this matter have previously pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.  This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-St. Louis and the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, in coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois; the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Springfield; and the Collinsville and Fairview Heights Police Departments.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Shomanicka Holly, 36, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, pled guilty today to a  two-count  felony  information  charging  her  with  health  care  fraud  and  making  materially   false statements on a public housing form.

As part of her plea, Holly admitted to defrauding a government funded health care program by  requesting  payment  for  services  that  she  never  performed.  The  Illinois  Department  of  
Human Services  (“IDHS”)  operates  a  program  known  as  the  Personal  Assistant  program,   which  pays people  to  work  as  personal  assistants  for  qualified  disabled  individuals.  The   program,  which utilizes federal Medicaid funds, will only pay for work performed while the  disabled individuals are present in their homes.

According to court documents, Holly served as a personal assistant to a qualified disabled person  from August 2016 to June 2019. During that time, Holly submitted timesheets requesting payment for  providing personal assistant services on dates and times when she was working at another job. In  doing so, Holly defrauded the program out of funds by falsely certifying that she was at the  disabled person’s home when, in fact, she was on the clock somewhere else.

In addition, Holly pled guilty to a separate charge of making materially false statements on a  public housing  application.  Court  documents  alleged  that  Holly  received  public  housing   assistance through a program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 
(“HUD”).

At her plea hearing, Holly acknowledged that she knowingly failed to disclose on her housing  assistance  renewal  application  that  another  adult  resided  in  her  home  and  earned   income.  The housing agency relied on this information to allocate its limited resources, including  in determining whether  Holly  was  eligible  for  public  housing  assistance  and  the  amount   of  assistance.  Holly withheld the information to receive more benefits than she was entitled to.

Health care fraud carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. Holly faces up to five years  in prison for making a materially false statement on a housing form. She may also be fined up to 
$250,000 and ordered to pay restitution on each charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in the federal courthouse in East St.
Louis, Illinois.

This  case  was  investigated  by  agents  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Health  and  
Human Services,  Office  of  Inspector  General  (HHS-OIG),  United  States  Department  of  
Housing  and Urban  Development,  Office  of  Inspector  General  (HUD-OIG),  and  the  Illinois  
State  Police, Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau (MFCB).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.
 

BENTON,  Ill. –  Aaron  E.  Inboden,  50,  of  Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  was  charged  in  a   two-count Indictment with methamphetamine related offenses. Count 1 charges that from 2018, until  on or about November 2021, in Crawford County, Inboden conspired to distribute five hundred (500)  grams or more of methamphetamine. Count 2 charges that on August 16, 2021, in Crawford County,  Inboden possessed more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

If convicted of the distribution conspiracy charge in Count 1, Inboden could receive a minimum of 
10 years with up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and supervised release of not less  than 5 years. Possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine carries a minimum of 5 years, up  to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $4,000,000 fine, and supervised release not less than 4 years.

Inboden is set for an Initial Appearance on December 16, 2021, in federal court in Benton,  Illinois.

An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, the defendant is  presumed to be innocent of the charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the  satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation was conducted by the Robinson, Illinois Police Department, and Lawrenceville,  Illinois Police Department, the United States Marshal Service, and the Southeastern Illinois Drug 
Task Force.   Assistance was also provided by the Crawford County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Lawrence County State’s Attorney’s Office.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Centralia man has been sentenced for his possession of child pornography. 
Dakota Olson, 27, was sentenced on Tuesday, December 14, 2021,  to 78 months in federal prison on  one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in federal court, Olson came to the attention of  law enforcement based on a cyber tip that a Dropbox user had files containing child pornography. 
Law enforcement discovered that between July 19, 2019, and February 13, 2020, Olson possessed over  
1,500  images  and  over  150  videos  of  child  pornography  in  his  Dropbox  account.  Olson   had received  images  and  videos  containing  child  sexual  abuse  material  on  the  internet   and  organized them within his Dropbox account. Olson had previously been convicted of Criminal 
Sexual Abuse and was required to register as a sex offender.

As part of his sentence, Olson was ordered to serve a 5-year term of supervised release following  his incarceration.

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.”

The investigation was conducted by the Jefferson County Police Department and the Department of 
Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Chris Jamison, 18, of Centralia, Illinois, entered a plea of guilty to one  count of felon in possession of a firearm in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Tuesday,  December 14, 2021.
According to court documents, Mr. Jamison admitted possessing a Smith and Wesson handgun after   having  been  previously  convicted  of  Aggravated  Discharge  of  a  Firearm  at  an  Occupied 
Vehicle  in  Marion  County,  Illinois,  Circuit  Court,  case  number  20-CF-120.   Jamison  was   on probation  for  this  offense  when  he  was  found  with  another  firearm  on  March  1,   2021.  Law enforcement officials utilized DNA testing to establish Jamison’s possession of the  firearm.

Jamison is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 
10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering  the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force that focuses enforcement efforts in 
Centralia, Marion County, Illinois.   The FBI Safe Streets Task Force consists of members of the  
FBI,  Centralia  Police  Department,  Marion  County  Sheriff’s  Office,  and  the  Illinois  State 
Police.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Hudson.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Madison County man has been sentenced for unlawful gun possession by a  felon.  Derrick  D.  Ingram,  48,  has  been  sentenced  to  72  months in  federal  prison  on   one  count  of felon in possession of a firearm.   The sentencing hearing was conducted on 
Wednesday, December 8, 2021, in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.
According  to  court  documents  and  statements  made  in  Court,  the  crime  occurred  on  
October  15, 2020, when  Ingram  fled  from Granite City Police during a  traffic stop.  Ingram was   armed  with  a firearm while he ran from police and continued to grab for the gun during his  arrest. He was also found   in   possession   of   methamphetamine   and   cocaine.   Ingram   had    numerous   prior   felony convictions including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Attempted 
Aggravated Kidnapping.

As part of his sentence, Ingram was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release.

This  case  was  brought  as  part  of  Project  Safe  Neighborhoods  (PSN),  the  centerpiece  of   the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program  proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders  work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop  comprehensive solutions  to  address  them.  As  part  of  this  strategy,  PSN  focuses   enforcement  efforts  on  the  most violent  offenders  and  partners  with  locally  based   prevention  and  reentry  programs  for  lasting reductions in crime.

The investigation was conducted by the Granite City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol,  Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns.

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than 
$17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will  support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is  often at its core. Hoyleton Youth and Family Services was awarded $94,446 to administer PSN grant  funds in the Southern District of Illinois.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP),  will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support  local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime  threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. 
“Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but  when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We must work closely  with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies  unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it  provides allow us to do just that.”

Grant funds will support  the efforts to reduce crimes in East St. Louis by focusing on violent  individuals and collaborating with community partners to address conditions that contribute to  violent  crimes.  The  grant  will  also  support  the  implementation  of  a  “co-responder   model”  in responding  to  homicides  and  non-fatal  shootings  by  having  trauma  teams  provide   immediate services to child victims, witnesses, and their families followed by long term trauma  intervention follow up services. With approval from BJA, the Fiscal Agent will begin the process of  making subawards for PSN grant projects.

“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps  people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of 
Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for 
OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with  jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”

In May 2021, Attorney  General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime,   including  the  gun  violence  that  is  often  at  its  core.  Integral  to  that  effort  was   the reinvigoration  of  PSN,  a  two-decade  old  evidence-based  and  community-oriented  program  focused  on  reducing  violent  crime.  The  updated  PSN  approach,  outlined  in  the   department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General 
Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities,  supporting community-based   organizations   that   help   prevent   violence,   setting   focused    and   strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental  goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.

This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction  efforts  to  ensure  alignment  with  the  department’s  comprehensive  violent  crime  reduction  strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies  and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their  districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are  addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer  for all.

PSN  programs  are  led  by  U.S.  Attorneys’  Offices  in  collaboration  with  local  public   safety agencies,  community  stakeholders  and  other  agencies  and  organizations  that  work  to   reduce violent crime.

The Office of Justice Programs provide federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance,  and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial  equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More  information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – An East St. Louis, Illinois, man has been sentenced for possessing a gun as  a convicted felon while on pre-trial release in another federal gun case. Tanario K. Darden, 47,  has been sentenced to a total of 10 years in federal prison for two instances of felon in  possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on October 14, 2020, Darden was on federal pre-trial release for a  felon  in  possession  case  when  he  was  found  in  possession  of  another  firearm.  Police   located  a firearm  and  narcotics  in  a  hidden  compartment  inside  Darden’s  home.  Darden   was  sentenced  in April of 2021 to 87 months imprisonment for his initial case.

On  Monday,  December  6,  2021,  Darden  was  sentenced  to  an  additional  33  months,  to  run  consecutive to 87 months, for a total of 10 years imprisonment.

As part of his sentences, Darden was ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following  his imprisonment.

This  case  was  brought  as  part  of  Project  Safe  Neighborhoods  (PSN),  the  centerpiece  of   the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program  proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders  work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop  comprehensive solutions  to  address  them.  As  part  of  this  strategy,  PSN  focuses   enforcement  efforts  on  the  most violent  offenders  and  partners  with  locally  based   prevention  and  reentry  programs  for  lasting reductions in crime.

The case was investigated by the Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) and the East St. Louis 
Police Department. PSEG is a newly formed Illinois State Police unit embedded with and working in  direct partnership with the East St. Louis Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns prosecuted the case.
 

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – In conjunction with a press release issued today by the Department of 
Justice regarding the Fourth Annual Money Mule Initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office for  the Southern District of Illinois announced its participation in the national effort to combat  money mule activities.
Money mules are individuals who are recruited by national and international fraud schemes to help  with the laundering of fraud proceeds, or transport goods purchased with fraud proceeds.   These  individuals  are  usually  recruited  over  the  internet,  through  dating  websites,  job   recruiting advertisements, or other types of internet solicitations.   The money mules are then  asked to help move money and goods from the victims to the fraudsters, who are oftentimes located  overseas.

Sometimes the money mules are themselves innocent victims who do not realize that they are  assisting with criminal activity.   Other times, however, the money mules come to realize that what  they are doing is wrong and/or illegal.   When this happens, the money mules become knowing  participants in the fraud schemes they are assisting and are subject to prosecution.

In the past 18 months, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois  has initiated prosecutions of several money mules who have either operated from, or targeted  victims located  in,  southern  Illinois.    The  individuals  charged  include:    (1)  Danny  
Vaughn,  62,  of Centralia, Illinois.   Vaughn is charged with purchasing goods, such as computers  and cell phones, with stolen credit card numbers, and then shipping those goods to overseas  addresses, including Malaysia; (2) Jaykumar Patel, 32, of Tampa, Florida.   Patel is charged with  receiving cash from fraud victims, including victims located in southern Illinois, and transporting  that cash to other participants in the fraud scheme; and (3) Talfanita Cobb, 49, of East St. Louis,  Illinois.   Cobb is charged with receiving fraudulently obtained Unemployment Insurance debit  cards, withdrawing funds from the cards, and transferring the funds to other members of the fraud scheme via Bitcoin.

Members  of  the  public  are  reminded  to  be  careful  of  individuals  they  meet  online.    
If  those individuals ask you to receive or transfer funds or goods, purchase gift cards, or engage  in any type of suspicious activity, please report this activity to law enforcement.
 

Benton, Ill. – Two men have been sentenced for their role in a 2018 marijuana robbery and shooting  in Caseyville, Illinois.   Deveon Humphries, 28,   was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison on  one count of interfering with commerce by robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during and  in relation to a crime of violence. The sentencing hearing was conducted on Monday, November 22,  2021, in U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois. Humphries pled guilty to the charges in May of  this year. His co-defendant, Dartaniel Pruitt, 27, was sentenced in August of this year.
According  to  court  documents,  the  crimes  occurred  on  September  30,  2018,  when  Humphries  arranged a fake marijuana sale with the plan to rob the marijuana dealer. Humphries was armed and  had  concocted  a  plan  with  his  co-defendant,  Pruitt,  to  take  the  marijuana  at  gunpoint. 
 During  the robbery,  Humphries  shot  a  witness  several  times.  Pruitt  and  Humphries  fled   the  scene  with  the marijuana.   The   Caseyville   Police   Department   investigated   the    robbery   and   later   recovered Humphries’ firearm.

As  part  of  their  sentences,  Humphries  and  Pruitt  were  also  ordered  to  serve  a  5-year   term  of supervised release.

This  case  was  brought  as  part  of  Project  Safe  Neighborhoods  (PSN),  the  centerpiece  of   the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program  proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders  work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop  comprehensive solutions  to  address  them.  As  part  of  this  strategy,  PSN  focuses   enforcement  efforts  on  the  most violent  offenders  and  partners  with  locally  based   prevention  and  reentry  programs  for  lasting reductions in crime.

The investigation was conducted by the Caseyville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol,  Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Ronald Speiser, 81, and Jean Speiser, 81, of Freeburg, Illinois, will spend  their  next  year  in  home  confinement  making  restitution  payments  after  defrauding  an   elderly family member out of nearly $200,000. The Speisers pled guilty to two counts of fraud and  were sentenced on Thursday, November 18, 2021, in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

According to Court documents, the Speisers were designated as the victim’s power of attorney and  successor power of attorney in the victim’s estate plan. In June 2018, the Speisers exercised their  authority  over  the  victim’s  finances  by  opening  an  account  at  Citizens  Community  Bank   in Mascoutah, Illinois, and depositing a check for  over $250,000 after selling the victim’s home. 
Starting around December 2018, and continuing until at least June 2020, the Speisers abused their  access  to  these  funds  by  spending  over  $200,000  of  the  victim’s  money  without  the   victim’s knowledge or permission, and for purposes that did not benefit the victim. Their spending  spree included over $50,000 in personal home renovations, paying over a year’s worth of personal  credit card bills, purchasing a new camper and new truck, and making a down payment and thirteen  mortgage payments on a second home.

“The FBI recognizes that seniors can be a particularly vulnerable group,” said Special Agent in 
Charge David Nanz.   “In this case, Ronald and Jean Speiser were in a position of trust, not only  as  power  of  attorney  but  as  a  family  member.  Rather  than  being  good  stewards  of  the  responsibilities entrusted to them, they chose to steal money and use it for their own personal  gain. The FBI will not hesitate to investigate those who victimize and take advantage of the  elderly citizens of our community.”

While on home confinement, the Speisers will be restricted to their residence except for religious  services, medical appointments, and other pre-approved activities. Their sentence also included an  additional year of supervised release after home confinement and paying full restitution to the  victim.  The  Speisers  paid  the  victim  an  initial  lump  sum  of  $119,000  as  part  of   their  plea agreement. They will pay the remainder in monthly installments.

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative. Information  about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at  www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is  standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. 
Department  of  Justice  hotline,  managed  by  the  Office  for  Victims  of  Crime,  is  staffed   by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of  the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting  agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with  appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is  the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting  certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering  losses. The hotline is staffed 7 days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English,  Spanish and other languages are available.

The case was investigated by Adult Protective Services, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Springfield Division.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Lamondra Beckley, 43, of Saint Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 147 months  in prison on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois.   Beckley  had  previously  pled  guilty  in  federal  court  to  one  count  of  possession  with  intent  to  distribute methamphetamine, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of  possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
As part of the plea, Beckley acknowledged that on March 11, 2021, he possessed approximately 114  grams of methamphetamine, which he intended to sell to a customer at a  gas station in Fairview 
Heights, Illinois, before being arrested by DEA agents.   At the time of his arrest, Beckley  possessed a firearm and was a previously convicted felon.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak prosecuted the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Aijeigh McShan, 20, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, pled guilty today to  conspiracy and bank fraud charges in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois. McShan is the  second of  three  men  charged  in  the  indictment  to  plead  guilty.  Lagardo  Wright,  20,   also  of  Fairview Heights, pled guilty to the same offenses on September 21, 2021.

According to court documents, Wright and McShan used other people’s bank accounts to deposit  counterfeit  checks  at  multiple  banks.  They  obtained  access  to  those  accounts  by   recruiting individuals on social media and elsewhere, promising money in exchange for personal  banking information,  including  online  usernames,  passwords,  and  PIN  numbers.  Whenever  they  found someone willing to participate, they checked the person’s account balances and withdrawal  limits, and deposited counterfeit checks into the person’s account at ATMs or through mobile  deposits. Then they quickly withdrew funds before the bank could determine the checks were  counterfeit and closed the account for fraud.

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and brank fraud carry maximum sentences of thirty years in prison,  fines of up to $1,000,000, and restitution.

Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2022. McShan will be sentenced on March 9, 2022. 
The third defendant, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 21, of Belleville, Illinois, is scheduled to plead guilty  on November 16, 2021.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.
 

BENTON, Ill. – Christopher Thompson, 30, of Kevil, Kentucky, pleaded guilty today to one count of 
Wire Fraud and seven counts of Mail Fraud for engaging in a scheme to defraud the Massac County 
Emergency  Management  Agency.     Thompson  was  the  Assistant  Director  of  the  Emergency 
Management Agency in Massac County and also served as the IT Manager for the Massac County Board of 
Commissioners.   As part of the plea, Thompson admitted to using official business accounts to pay  for personal expenditures and admitted to opening up business lines of credit without authority for  personal use causing a loss in excess of $50,000.   As part of the plea, Thompson consented to  forfeiture of items fraudulently purchased and otherwise consented to a forfeiture judgment in the  amount of $52,054.51.
Thompson’s  sentencing  is  scheduled  for  February  24,  2022.    A  federal  district  court   judge  will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other  statutory factors.

Each count of Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to twenty years  in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years supervised release and restitution.

FBI  Springfield  Division  conducted  the  investigation  with  the  assistance  of  the  Massac  
County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman Smith and Monica Stump are prosecuting the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Bradley L. Matthews, 39, of Vandalia, Illinois, entered a plea of guilty to  distribution of child pornography on November 2, 2021, in federal court in East St. Louis,  Illinois.

According to court documents, Matthews came to the attention of law enforcement in February 2019    during   an   FBI  undercover   internet   investigation   of   child   pornography.   During   the  investigation, an undercover officer engaged in a conversation with Matthews during which he sent  the undercover officer three videos depicting child pornography.

In an interview with law enforcement on September 5, 2019, Matthews admitted distributing child  pornography. When shown the printout of the conversation with the undercover officer that took  place on February 5, 2019, Matthews identified himself as the person in the profile picture and  admitted that he was the person who had engaged in the conversation with the undercover officer and  distributed the child pornography videos.

Matthews  faces  a  mandatory  minimum  sentence  of  5  years  but  not  more  than  20  years  imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and the possibility of a lifetime term of supervised  release.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 24, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. in East St. Louis.

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.”

The case was investigated by FBI Springfield Division.   Assistant United States Attorney Angela
Scott is prosecuting the case.
 

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Non-profit Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House (“LBDNH”) has agreed to pay the United States $100,000 and enter into a compliance agreement to resolve a civil False 
Claims Act investigation relating to the operation of its AmeriCorps program, U.S. Attorney Steven 
D. Weinhoeft announced today.

AmeriCorps  is  a  federally  funded  network  of  national  service  programs  addressing   critical community needs including increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting  poverty, sustaining  national  parks,  preparing  for  disasters,  and  more.  AmeriCorps   volunteers  (called members)  commit  to  service  for  a  period  of  three  months  to  a  year   in  exchange  for  a  living allowance, education awards, and other benefits. From 2015 to 2018,  LBDNH received over $1.9 million in federal AmeriCorps funding.

The settlement stems from investigations conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task  
 Force   and   the   AmeriCorps   Office   of   Inspector   General   (“OIG”).   The   Task   Force  investigation resulted in Christopher Coleman pleading guilty to embezzling more than $250,000 from 
 LBDNH  by  generating  false  invoices  and  receiving  cash  kickbacks.  Coleman  was  the 
Executive Director of LBDNH from July 2016 to February 2018.

Leonard Johnson, of St. Louis, Missouri, and Jeremy Turner, of Dallas, Texas, were convicted in  federal  court  for  aiding  and  abetting  Coleman’s  embezzlement.  Tiffany  Taylor,  of  
Maryville, Illinois, was charged with making false statements to federal agents during the  investigation. She successfully completed a pre-trial diversion program.

AmeriCorps OIG opened a civil investigation looking for violations of the False Claims Act.   As a  result of the OIG investigation, the United States alleges that from 2015 through 2019 LBDNH,  through   Coleman   and   others,   failed   to   implement   internal   controls   sufficient   to    prevent embezzlement of federal grant funds and misrepresented it   AmeriCorps  expenses on  periodic expense reports submitted to the AmeriCorps prime grantee.

In addition, grant recipients like LBDNH are required to verify and certify the number of service  hours each individual volunteer completes. Each volunteer must complete a specified number of  service  hours,  along with other  requirements, to receive  an AmeriCorps  education award. The 
United States also alleges, from 2015 through 2019, LBDNH falsely certified to AmeriCorps that some  of its members had performed the service hours necessary to qualify for an education award, when  they, in reality, had not.

“The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House was a mess, and we used our criminal and civil authority  to clean it up,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Four criminal indictments and a civil  settlement have resulted in federal criminal convictions, prison time, restitution orders, civil  payments, and a compliance agreement to ensure that this never happens again. Our decisive action  is a clear message that programs administering taxpayer funds must do so responsibly.”

“The Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House was easy prey to fraud because it had none of the  internal controls needed to protect the organization from unscrupulous actors,” said AmeriCorps 
Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey.   “Every director of a nonprofit should ask executives and  independent auditors what their organization does to prevent and detect fraud, and what more it  could do to ensure that all of its funds are being used to support community needs.”

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; no lawsuit was filed in court, and  there has been no determination of civil liability. The individuals responsible for the fraud at 
LBDNH are no longer  employed  there. LBDNH  cooperated with the OIG investigation and voluntarily  outsourced its accounting and finance functions to a third-party firm. As part of the settlement,  LBDNH entered into a five-year compliance agreement with AmeriCorps. Included among the terms  of   the  compliance  agreement  are  that  LBDNH  must  implement  fraud  detection  and prevention   policies  and  trainings.  The  agreement  also  mandates  certain  bi-annual  reporting  requirements  to  AmeriCorps.  LBDNH  has  represented  it  intends  to  maintain  its  outsourced  accounting arrangement through the compliance agreement period.

The investigation was conducted by the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General. Assistant United
States Attorney Ray M. Syrcle handled the settlement for the United States.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – An East Alton, Illinois, woman was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison  for stealing her disabled daughter’s Social Security funds.   The sentencing hearing was conducted  this morning in Federal Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

The  Social  Security  Administration  administers  the  Supplemental  Security  Income  (“SSI”)  program.   SSI provides a minimum level of income to aged, blind, and disabled individuals who have  limited resources.   Disabled children are eligible to receive SSI benefits.   For children, SSI  benefits are paid to a representative payee, who is responsible for handling the funds and  reporting to the Social Security Administration.   Federal law requires that all SSI funds must be  used for the benefit of the disabled child.

According  to  court  documents,  Melissa  D.  Wasylak,  49,  applied  for  her  disabled  daughter   to receive SSI benefits.   Wasylak was appointed as her daughter’s representative payee.   In 
2008, Wasylak’s daughter stopped living with her and went to live with Wasylak’s ex-husband.   
Despite this  fact,  Wasylak  continued  to  receive  her  daughter’s  SSI  funds.   As  part  of   her  guilty  plea, Wasylak admitted that she did not use those funds for her daughter’s expenses,  but instead used the SSI monies to pay her own personal expenses.   This continued until the  situation was reported to the Social Security Administration in May of 2019.

In addition to the 14 month prison term, the court also ordered Wasylak to serve a two year period  of supervised release following her release from prison.   The court further ordered Wasylak to pay 
$58,345 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Office of the Social Security Administration – Office of  the Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorney Scott Verseman prosecuted the case.

O’Fallon, Ill. – An O’Fallon, Illinois, bookkeeper was sentenced to 4 years in prison for  defrauding one  of  her  clients  out  of  more  than  $1,000,000.  The  sentencing  hearing  was   conducted  on Thursday, October 21, 2021, in U.S. District Court in Benton, Illinois.
“While our work on violent crimes often garners larger headlines, the public should be remined that  financial crimes remain a clear federal priority,” said Steven D.  Weinhoeft, United States 
Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. He continued, “Financial criminals like Dvorak  cause great harm and must be held accountable.”

“For years, Dvorak bilked her employer’s accounts, choosing greed over trust,” said FBI Special 
Agent in Charge David Nanz.   “No matter how simple or sophisticated the fraud scheme, the FBI  won’t hesitate to bring all available resources to bear to hold criminals accountable and seek  justice for victims.”

Kathleen M. Dvorak, 61, conducted a large, multi-year fraud scheme, against one of her clients. 
From  2012  through  2019,  Dvorak  defrauded  the  victim  out  more  than  $1,000,000.  Evidence  presented in court established that Dvorak took this money from her client in two primary ways: (1) by writing large checks, payable to herself, that were drawn on the victim’s bank account; and
(2) by taking large amounts of cash back for herself when she deposited checks payable to the  victim into his bank accounts. Dvorak concealed her fraud from the victim by making false entries  into his Quickbooks accounting program.

In addition to the four-year prison sentence, the court also ordered Dvorak to pay $1,495,072.74 to   her  victim.  The  court  further  sentenced  Dvorak  to  serve  three  years  of  supervised   release following  her  release  from  prison.  As  a  condition  of  her  supervised  release,   the  court  ordered Dvorak to participa e in treatment for gambling addiction and to not  participate in any further gambling activities.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division, Fairview
Heights Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman prosecuted the case.

BENTON, Ill. –   A Jefferson County, Missouri, man is facing at least 15 years in prison after a  federal jury found him guilty Monday of arranging to have sexual activity with a minor, traveling  to pick her up in Belleville, Illinois, and producing sexually explicit images of her.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Earl G. Rice, Jr., 63, chatted online  via  a  dating  application  with  a  teenage  girl.  Rice  quickly  indicated  his  interest  in   traveling  to Belleville, Illinois, from Dittmer, Missouri, to meet the victim and engage in sexual  acts with her. On Valentine’s Day of 2018, Rice arrived with alcohol, condoms, and a candle to take  the victim to a nearby motel. Rice engaged in sexual acts with the victim and produced sexually  explicit images of the teen girl on his cell phone. Belleville Police Department apprehended Rice  at the scene of the crime on February 15, 2018, after he was described driving a “red hooptie”.

Graphic images taken by Rice of the minor victim were shown to the jury during the five-day trial  held at the federal courthouse in Benton, Illinois. Jurors also saw surveillance footage from the  motel and heard testimony about DNA evidence connecting Rice to the crimes.

Sentencing has been scheduled for January 27, 2022, in front of United States District Judge Staci
M. Yandle. Enticement of a Minor is punishable by at least 10 years in prison and up to life;  Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct is punishable up to 30 years in prison; and 
Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Production of Child Pornography) is punishable by at least 15 years  in prison and up to 30 years.

Belleville  Police  Department  conducted  the  investigation,  along  with support  from  the  
Illinois State Police, and FBI-Springfield and Saint Louis Divisions.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Karelia Rajagopal.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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.”

EAST  ST.  LOUIS,  Ill.  –  A  Belleville  nurse,  Angela  Mohler,  40,  pled  guilty  to  five   counts of obtaining drugs by fraud on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

According to court documents, Mohler worked as a nurse for senior care and nursing facilities from 
2018 to 2021, including facilities in Edwardsville, Belleville, Lebanon, and Caseyville.   She used  her position of trust to steal pain medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine from  vulnerable patients.   After taking the drugs for her personal use, Mohler would often destroy or  modify the patient’s records to cover up the thefts.   This meant the patient’s records would show 
Mohler had given him or her pain medication, when in fact they had often suffered without it.

Mohler is one of several medical professionals recently charged with stealing medication from  patients.   In  April,  a  nurse,  Krista  Brenner,  was  indicted  on  similar  charges  for   stealing  pain medication while working at senior care facilities in the Metro East area in 2019.   
In September, another  nurse,  Joseph  Mattingly,  was  sentenced  on  charges  of  stealing  pain   medication  from residents while working at a center for adults with intellectual disabilities in 
2018.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,  Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations and the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud 
Control Bureau.

If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or  public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, or you may call 1.800.447.8477.
 

BENTON, Ill. – Paula R. Hise, 55, of Shawneetown, Illinois, was sentenced yesterday in United 
States District Court in Benton to 63 months in prison for defrauding her former employer of over
$1,500,000.00, announced Steven D. Weinhoeft, United States Attorney for the Southern District of 
Illinois.   Hise had previously pled guilty on April 19, 2021 to an Indictment charging her with  two counts of wire fraud.

Information introduced in support of the guilty plea and sentence showed that between 2007 and 
2017, Hise used her trusted position as a bookkeeper for her employer to steal funds from her  employer by obtaining an unauthorized credit card, using that credit card for personal purchases,  and then paying the balance of the credit card using her employer’s business checking account. Hise  concealed her crime by creating false entries in the business’ account ledgers, creating false  accounting reports, and providing false information to her employer.

“The  FBI  is  committed  to  investigating  those  who  commit  financial  fraud  in  order  to   protect American citizens and businesses,” said Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “This sentence  holds Hise accountable for the damage she caused and sends a message that fraud is a serious crime  with serious consequences.”

In addition to the 63-month term of imprisonment, Hise was also ordered to pay the United States
$200  in  special  assessments,  and  to  pay  a  total  of  $1,550,379.14  in  restitution  to   her  former employer, less any amounts received from a related civil suit.   Hise was also placed  on a 3-year term of supervised release to follow her incarceration.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Springfield Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Casey E. A. Bloodworth prosecuted the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Deandre Young, 42, of Saint Louis, Missouri, pled guilty to one count of  aiding   and   abetting   co-defendant   Lamondra   Beckley’s   possession   with   intent   to    distribute methamphetamine  and  one  count  of  possession  of  a  firearm  in  furtherance  of  a   drug  trafficking offense on Thursday, October 7 in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Young was charged for the offenses on April 6, 2021.   Young acknowledged that on March 11, 2021,  he helped arrange the sale of approximately 114 grams of methamphetamine by his co-defendant 
Lamondra  Beckley  to  a  customer  at  a  gas  station  in  Fairview  Heights,  Illinois.    Young   was  in possession of a firearm when agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested him.

Sentencing  is  scheduled  on  February  9,  2022.    Under  federal  law,  Young  faces  a   mandatory minimum of 5 years imprisonment for these offenses.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak is prosecuting the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. – Jay A. Cobb, 57, of Cahokia, Illinois, formerly a police officer with the 
Village of Alorton Police Department, was charged in a one-count Indictment with “Obtaining Funds  by Fraud from the City of Alorton Police Department, a Unit of a Government that Received Federal 
Funds.”   The Indictment alleges that Cobb falsified time records for the period of January 2020   through  April  2021  and  acknowledges  that  he  obtained  funds  by  fraud  from  May  2018  through April 2021 claiming to be working when he was out of the jurisdiction, usually at his  residence in Cahokia, Illinois.   The Indictment alleges that there was approximately 654 hours  where Cobb claimed he was working but he was outside the jurisdiction of the Village of Alorton  causing a financial loss of approximately $9,815.

U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “The allegations in this indictment should reassure the  public that allegations of police misconduct are investigated seriously; but the charges should not  undermine the public’s confidence in law enforcement, which is overwhelmingly made up of good and  decent public servants who risk their lives for our safety.”

Embezzling money from an organization that receives federal funds carries a maximum sentence of ten  years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution.

An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, the defendant is  presumed to be innocent of the charges until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the  satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force which  consists of agents with the FBI and the Illinois State Police.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.

Citizens are encouraged to report suspicions of public corruption to the Southern Illinois Public
Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.
 

East St. Louis, Ill. – A man from the Metro East will spend more than three years in prison for  illegally possessing firearm ammunition. Keithen D. Chairs, 25, was sentenced to 37 months in  federal prison for being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
The crime occurred in July of 2020 when the United States Marshals Service located Chairs in an 
East St.  Louis  apartment  and  arrested  him  for  multiple  active  warrants.  Chairs  was  in   possession  of  a backpack which contained 23 rounds of (9 mm) ammunition. Federal law prohibits  convicted felons from possessing firearms and firearm ammunition. A federal grand jury indicted 
Chairs for being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition in November of 2020, and Chairs pled guilty on 
May 25, 2021.

As part of his sentence, Chairs will serve a three-year term of supervised release following his  release from federal prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF),  United  States  Marshals  Service  Great  Lakes  Regional  Fugitive  Task  Force,  and  the  St.  
Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Hoell and John Trippi.
 

East St. Louis, Ill. – A convicted felon from the Metro East is headed to prison for nearly six  years for his  illegal  possession  and  use  of  a  firearm.  Marrio  Robinson,  39,  of  East  
St.  Louis,  Illinois  was sentenced yesterday to 71 months in prison, which will be followed by a  term of 3 years of supervised release. Robinson previously pled guilty to the offense in September 
2020.

According to court documents and the evidence, Robinson was involved in a shooting in East St. 
Louis, Illinois in 2017. Robinson shot toward the victim at least ten times using a Glock .40  caliber semi- automatic  pistol,  resulting  in  injuries  to  the  victim’s  thigh  and  lower   leg.  At  the  time  Robinson possessed the semi-automatic pistol, he had been previously convicted  of Possession of a Controlled Substance in the St. Clair County Circuit Court and Distribution of 
Crack Cocaine, Maintaining a Drug Premise, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug 
Trafficking Offense in the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Robinson was  therefore prohibited from possessing any firearm.

The case was investigated by the East St. Louis Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,  Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karelia S. Rajagopal prosecuted the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. – Steven P. Tibbetts, 62, of Godfrey, Illinois, was sentenced to 87 months in  federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for knowingly distributing child  pornography in December 2019. The Court further ordered Tibbetts to pay $10,000 in restitution to  victims who were depicted in some of the videos and photographs.
Court documents and evidence showed that Tibbetts began viewing and distributing child pornography  starting in the 1990s and continued until his arrest in June 2020. Furthermore, while Tibbetts was  on pre-trial release for the charged offense, an officer located additional devices in his home,  which were later  found  to  contain  child  pornography.  The  instant  offense  involved  2,430   images  of  child pornography and 408 videos containing child pornography.

Tibbetts has served as a Lutheran pastor since 1992. At the time the complaint was filed, Tibbetts  was employed as the head pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois. In imposing  the sentence, the Court noted that “The defendant was living two lives of sorts.”

FBI   Springfield   Division   and   Macoupin   County   Sheriff’s   Department   investigated    the   case. Significant assistance was provided in the early stages of the investigation by the 
Peoria (Illinois) Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher R. Hoell and Karelia S.
Rajagopal.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Ricky Perry, 51, of East St. Louis, Illinois, formerly a police officer with  the Village of Alorton Police Department, entered a plea of guilty to “Obtaining Funds by Fraud  from the Village of Alorton Police Department, a Unit of a Government that Received Federal Funds.”

As part of the plea, Perry acknowledged that he obtained funds by fraud from May 2018 through April 
2021 claiming to be working when he was out of the jurisdiction, usually at his residence in East  
St.  Louis.    The  Information  alleges  that  there  was  approximately  4000  hours  where  
Perry claimed  he  was  working  but  he  was  outside  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Village  of  
Alorton  causing  a financial loss of approximately $60,000.   Sentencing is scheduled for January 
26, 2022.

U.S.  Attorney  Steven  D.  Weinhoeft  said,  “We  proudly  support  the  thousands  of  law   enforcement officers in this district who serve the public with honor, integrity, and dedication. 
The Metro-East police departments are staffed by many such officers, and this guilty plea should  not undermine the public’s confidence in the work of law enforcement as a whole. This case shows  that law enforcement will police their own, and that officers are held accountable when they  violate the law.”
Embezzling money from an organization that receives federal funds carries a maximum sentence of ten  years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution.

The  investigation  was  conducted  by  the  Southern  Illinois  Public  Corruption  Task  Force,   which consists of agents with the FBI, and the Illinois State Police.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.

Citizens are encouraged  to report suspicions of  public corruption to the  Southern Illinois 
Public
Corruption Task Force Tip Line at (618) 589-7373.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Anthony Wisham, 59, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty to two counts  of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one  count of felon in possession of a firearm, on September 27, in federal court in East St. Louis,  Illinois.
As part of his guilty plea, Wisham admitted to distributing ounce quantities of fentanyl on 
September 15,  2020,  in  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois.    Wisham  further  admitted  that  on  
December  10,  2020,  he possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 21.3 grams of  cocaine and that he possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 29 at 10:30 a.m. in East St. Louis.   Under federal law,  Wisham faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for these offenses.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak is prosecuting the case.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Anthony Wisham, 59, of East St. Louis, Illinois, pled guilty to two counts  of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one  count of felon in possession of a firearm, on September 27, in federal court in East St. Louis,  Illinois.
As part of his guilty plea, Wisham admitted to distributing ounce quantities of fentanyl on 
September 15,  2020,  in  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois.    Wisham  further  admitted  that  on  
December  10,  2020,  he possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 21.3 grams of  cocaine and that he possessed a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 29 at 10:30 a.m. in East St. Louis.   Under federal law,  Wisham faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for these offenses.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak is prosecuting the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – This morning, Timothy P. Mayer, 42, of Waterloo, Ill., was sentenced to  serve 18 months in federal prison for defrauding his former employer, Jung Truck Service (“Jung 
Truck”) of Mascoutah, Ill., out of more than $600,000.
In addition to operating its own trucks and warehouse facilities, Jung Truck also provides  maintenance services  for  other  trucking  companies.    Mayer  was  the  manager  of  Jung  
Truck’s  East  St.  Louis location.

Mayer pled guilty to the fraud scheme in federal court in East St. Louis on May 4, 2021.   When he  pled guilty, Mayer admitted that beginning in July 2019, he started charging expensive tires to 
Jung Truck’s accounts at a local tire supplier.   Mayer then sold the tires on the side and  pocketed the cash. The value of the tires that Mayer fraudulently charged to Jung Truck exceeded 
$590,000.   Mayer also stole tires and brakes from Jung Truck’s inventory and sold those items on  the side.   In total, Mayer caused Jung Truck to sustain a loss of more than $620,000.   The scheme  lasted until Mayer was caught in May 2020.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Mayer to serve a period of 3 years of  supervised release  following  his  prison  sentence.    The  court  further  ordered  Mayer  to   pay  $624,807.63  in restitution to Jung Truck.

The case was investigated by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division,  Fairview Heights Resident Agency.   The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Scott A. Verseman.
 

BENTON, Ill. – A Carterville man was sentenced on Thursday, September 16 to four years of probation  for drug diversion and health care fraud charges. Joseph M. Mattingly, 42, was also ordered to pay  a $500 fine along with a $200 special assessment.

According to court documents, Mattingly diverted Schedule II controlled substance (Hydrocodone)  pills from a patient and defrauded the Medicare program of the cost of the pills.

In 2018, Mattingly was employed as a nurse with Progress Port, a center for adults with  intellectual disabilities  in  Williamson  County.  Between  August  20,  2018  and  October  30,   2018,  Mattingly obtained  possession  of  25  Hydrocodone  pills  he  falsely  claimed  he   dispended  to  a  Progress  Port resident,  which  he  diverted  for  his  own  personal  use.    
Mattingly  took  three  Hydrocodone  pills intended for the same Progress Port resident and  replaced those pills with Tylenol, an over-the-counter medication at three separate locations.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,  Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations and the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud 
Control Bureau.

If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or  public aid  programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, or you may call 1.800.447.8477.
 

Benton, Ill. – A Troy, Illinois man will spend more than two years in prison for illegally possessing firearm ammunition. Troy A. Schrage, 37, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
The offense occurred in April of 2020, when the United States Marshals Service located Schrage in
Belleville,  Illinois,  and  arrested  him  for  multiple  active  warrants.   The  ammunition  was  found  in Schrage’s  possession  during  the  arrest.  Federal  law  prohibits  convicted  felons  from  possessing firearms and firearm ammunition. A federal grand jury indicted Schrage in June of
2020, and a Benton, Illinois, jury convicted Schrage of the offense after a two-day trial in June
2021.

As part of his sentence, Schrage was ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release after release from prison.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive
Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and the Cahokia Police
Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Trippi and Daniel Kapsak.

An Effingham man was sentenced yesterday to four years and ten months in prison and a $1,000 fine for manufacturing counterfeit money.

According to court documents, counterfeit bills manufactured by Jared Sapp, 29, were recovered in Madison, St. Clair, and Effingham counties, and as far away as Colorado. Sapp’s counterfeiting dates back to at least 2016. A number of businesses in Effingham, Illinois reported in 2017 and 2018 that they had been paid counterfeit money that was later traced back to Sapp. Sapp would also use counterfeit money to pay for used goods on websites or applications like “letgo.com” and “craigslist.com.” All told, law enforcement recovered at least 201 counterfeit bills manufactured by Sapp with a total face value of $4,715.00. The operation came to an end when Sapp was arrested in April 2020 with two printer/scanners and a pile of counterfeit $20s in the trunk of his car.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, the Effingham City Police Department, the Granite City Police Department, and the Caseyville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A Belleville man will be spending over two decades behind bars for stealing cash from four local businesses at gunpoint. Cameron J. Blake, 23, has been sentenced to 252 months in federal prison on four counts of interfering with commerce by robbery and three counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Blake pled guilty to the charges back in April.

According to court documents, the crimes occurred in December of 2019. On December 2, 2019, Blake entered two different ZX gas stations, one in Swansea and one in Belleville, and a Huck’s Food and Fuel in Belleville, and demanded money. Blake brandished a gun with a flashlight attachment and took cash from employees by force. On December 27, 2019, Blake entered a Domino’s Pizza in Belleville, and again displayed a firearm with a flashlight attachment when he demanded cash.

As part of his sentence, Blake was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The investigation was conducted by Belleville Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexandria Burns.

SPARTA, Ill. – A Randolph County man is heading to federal prison today after years of downloading and  sharing  child  pornography  on  the  dark  web.  Kory  R.  Schulein,  37,  of  Sparta,   Illinois,  was sentenced this afternoon to 151 months in prison for knowingly receiving child  sexual abuse material over the internet. Schulein pled guilty to the charge in April.

According to court documents, Schulein first came to the attention to law enforcement in 2018  during an FBI investigation of child pornography on the dark web. Agents were able to track his  internet protocol address and executed a federal search warrant at his home. Schulein served as a  moderator of a dark web site dedicated to child exploitation and had been an active participant on  other sites. Prosecutors told the court that on one of the sites, Schulein had posted 13,733  messages, many of which included links to child exploitation images and videos. Schulein also  collected and stored over 9,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on an encrypted  hard drive.

In handing down the sentence, which fell at the low end of the advisory sentencing guidelines,  United States District Judge Stephen P. McGlynn observed that the guidelines called for a lengthy  sentence “because of the colossal and immensely harmful impact” child pornography has on children. 
Schulein was unemployed and had for years actively participated in online forums where he  interacted with people who were producing child pornography. Judge McGlynn noted that some of the  images and videos collected by Schulein depicted children in bondage and adults raping children,  including 5- year-old girls and toddlers. “You must have felt no mercy or empathy for these  children you were watching being humiliated and tortured,” McGlynn told the defendant.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors also submitted evidence that Schulein had engaged in an  online “romantic relationship” with an 11-year-old girl in the United Kingdom. Judge McGlynn called 
Schulein’s involvement with the girl “classic grooming behavior.”

Some  victims  of  the  child  pornography  that  Schulein  received  and  shared  with  others   submitted statements to the court. In their statements, they describe how impossible it is for them  to live any semblance of a normal life while images of their sexual abuse are traded online. “Every  time someone views this trash,” one survivor wrote, “he is once again making me re-live the most  horrific part of my  childhood.  I  can  never  truly  heal....”  The  mother  of  another  victim   wrote:  “Thousands  upon thousands of people, all over the world have access to images of our  little girl during her darkest days.... A person can download her image, create their own child  pornography movie, share it with other monsters, or keep it for themselves to continually exploit our daughter in their own private  bedroom.” Knowing that her abuse is memorialized on the internet for people like the defendant to view and share forever “will shatter her soul,” the victim’s mother wrote.

As part of his sentence, Schulein was ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release and pay a 
$5,000 special assessment. He previously paid $12,000 in restitution to several of the victims.

The case was investigated by FBI-Springfield, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. 
Marshals Service.

Trial Attorneys Jessica Urban and Alicia A. Bove of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and 
Obscenity  Section  (CEOS)  and  Assistant  U.S.  Attorney  Nathan  D.  Stump  of  the  U.S.  
Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.

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

An Illinois man was sentenced today in the Southern District of Illinois to 151 months, or 12 and a half years, in prison for knowingly receiving child sexual abuse material over the internet. 

According to court documents and statements made in connection with the sentencing, Kory R. Schulein, 37, of Sparta, pleaded guilty to knowingly receiving child pornography over the internet. According to court documents, Schulein first came to the attention to law enforcement in 2018 during an FBI investigation of child pornography on the dark web. Agents were able to track his internet protocol address and executed a federal search warrant at his home. Schulein served as a moderator of a dark web site dedicated to child exploitation and had been an active participant on other sites. Schulein had posted 13,733 messages, many of which included links to child exploitation images and videos. Schulein also collected and stored over 9,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on an encrypted hard driveThe FBI’s Springfield Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Trial Attorneys Jessica Urban and Alicia A. Bove of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan D. Stump of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.

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