Southern District of Illinois

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Two East St. Louis men are facing federal charges today for a deadly bank  robbery over the weekend. Jaylan D. Quinn, 22, and Andrew R. Brinkley, 19, have been charged in a  two-count criminal complaint for the August 27 armed robbery of the First Bank in East St. Louis  that resulted in the murder of security guard Ted Horn.

“The shooter rightly faces life in federal prison. Armed violence is intolerable in any civilized  society, and we are resolved that a firm and definite measure of justice will be imposed in this  case,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “The public should be reassured by the professional  work led by the FBI, with outstanding support from the Illinois State Police Public Safety 
Enforcement Group and the East St. Louis Police Department. These officers worked around the clock  from the moment of the killing to ensure that the suspects will face a swift and certain outcome in  the federal system.”

“The FBI offers our deepest condolences to the family of security guard Ted Horn, whose life was  senselessly taken in a vicious act of violence,” said FBI-Springfield’s Acting Special Agent in 
Charge Timothy Ferguson. “This case demonstrates the tenacity of the FBI and our law enforcement  partners in investigating and identifying the subjects swiftly. We thank the public for their  vigilance, as well as our media partners who provided critical details to the communities. The 
FBI’s commitment to justice remains at the forefront of every investigation, and we remain  dedicated to ensuring those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”

The federal complaint filed this afternoon alleges that at approximately 4:00 pm on August 27, two  masked men entered the First Bank located at 350 River Park Drive in East St. Louis. After they  approached the tellers, one of the men, who was wearing a white face mask, put a demand note on the  counter which read, “I GOT A BOMB STRAPPED TO MY CHEST PUT ALL THE MONEY IN OR EVERYONE DIE.” The  bank teller gave the man some money, and the two robbers turned away from the counter and headed  toward the doors.

Ted Horn, 56, of St. Libory, Illinois, was working at the bank that day as a uniformed security  guard. Horn moved to intercept the two men before they could leave. The man wearing the white face  mask pushed past Horn and ran out of the bank. The second man, who was wearing a black face mask,  drew a semi-automatic handgun and shot Horn in the head. The robbers then fled in a white Lexus sedan.

Horn  was  pronounced  dead  at  the  scene.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  two  adult  sons,   and  three grandchildren.  A  memorial  service  will  be  held  at  noon  on  September  4  at  
Wenneman  Park  in Marissa, Illinois.

The release of photos from the bank surveillance video quickly led to the identification of Andrew 
R. Brinkley as a suspect. By 2:00 p.m. the following day, FBI surveillance of Brinkley’s residence  on North 13ᵗʰ Street in St. Louis resulted in the arrest of Brinkley and Quinn. Agents executed a  search warrant at the residence and recovered a loaded 9mm handgun, two marked bills that were  taken during the First Bank robbery, and clothing that matched what the robbers wore. A white Lexus  sedan was found parked outside the residence.

The complaint identifies Quinn as the man who shot Horn and charges him with armed bank robbery  resulting in death. By law, he could receive life in prison or possibly even the death penalty. 
Brinkley is charged with bank robbery, which carries up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and  up to 3 years of supervised release.

A criminal complaint is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential  facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a  charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

A date for the defendants’ initial appearance in federal court has not been set.

The case is being investigated by FBI-Springfield, with assistance from the Illinois State Police  and the East St. Louis Police Department.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury in East St. Louis, Illinois, has returned an indictment charging three area men with conspiring to steal and sell sensitive equipment and other property belonging to the United States military. 

 Brandon Schulte, 43, of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jody (“Joe”) Stambaugh, 50, of Nashville, Illinois, and Gary Stambaugh, 77, of Fayetteville, Illinois, are accused of conspiring with each other and others unnamed to steal military uniforms, tactical robots, night vision sights, high frequency radios, and other functional military equipment.

“These allegations are very serious,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said. “The indictment charges a conspiracy to steal and sell sensitive military items. Any theft of government property harms the taxpayers, but worse, items such as equipment and uniforms could easily fall into the wrong hands and threaten the safety of our service members.”

“As the investigative arm of the Department of Defense, the DoD Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is charted to protect our warfighters, DoD equipment, funds and other resources,” said Michael Mentavlos, Special Agent-in-Charge – DCIS, Southwest Field Office. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment, along with our law enforcement partners, to aggressively pursue those that attempt to illegally profit from taxpayer funded resources.”

According to the indictment, Gary Stambaugh and Joe Stambaugh were co-owners of Stambaugh Enterprises, a scrap metal company located in Mascoutah, Illinois. Stambaugh Enterprises allegedly operated as a subcontractor on a DoD contract to pick-up, transport, and recycle scrap metal items from multiple DoD facilities in Illinois and Missouri, including Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois, and a Missouri Army National Guard facility in Jefferson City, Missouri.

The indictment alleges that the Stambaughs were obligated to mutilate and destroy all military property they hauled away from each DoD facility and were prohibited from reusing or refurbishing any military items for their own use or selling any military items to be reused or refurbished by someone else.

The Stambaughs allegedly removed truckloads of military property from DoD facilities but did not destroy or mutilate every item, in violation of their contracts. According to the indictment, the Stambaughs transported the military property to their place of business in Mascoutah and sorted through the items to determine what could be converted to their own use or sold to others.

From January-October 2017, Joe Stambaugh allegedly provided an unnamed person identified as J.S. with numerous military items to be sold for profit, including LED video screens, a high frequency radio, military night vision sights, a military antenna system, military flight helmets, and a military infrared thermal imager.

The indictment further alleges that the Stambaughs submitted “certificates of destruction” that falsely showed they had properly mutilated and destroyed the property when, in fact, they had stolen and retained items off the scrap piles for their own use and for sale.

Brandon Schulte was a national guardsman responsible for properly storing and disposing of military property at the Missouri Army National Guard facility in Jefferson City. According to the indictment, the Stambaughs received military uniforms and other unauthorized, sensitive military property from Schulte, even though Schulte allegedly knew the Stambaughs were authorized to receive only scrap metal.

The indictment charges that Schulte understood he was required to follow specific procedures to dispose of sensitive military items, including uniforms. Such procedures are vital to national security, as terrorist groups overseas have previously acquired U.S. combat uniforms and used them to impersonate American soldiers, endangering American troops. Nevertheless, Schulte allegedly supplied the Stambaughs with thousands of pounds of military uniforms and other non-scrap military equipment. The indictment charges Schulte with conspiring with the Stambaughs from 2015-2018, as well as making a false statement about his conduct to federal agents in 2019.

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

The Stambaughs and Schulte are due in federal court for their initial appearances and arraignments on Sept. 1, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Beatty in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis. If convicted, the Stambaughs face up to 10 years in prison on each of their three theft counts and up to 5 years in prison for the conspiracy. Schulte’s conspiracy count and separate charge for making a false statement each carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.

This case is being investigated by agents with DCIS, the Defense Logistics Agency-Office of Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), FBI-Springfield, and the Department of Commerce.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.

Troy, Ill. – A Madison County businessman who failed to submit payroll taxes will be spending the  next few years behind bars. Gary Hunsche, 56, of Troy, Illinois, was sentenced today to 48 months  in prison for willfully failing to pay millions of dollars in employment taxes to the IRS. Hunsche  pled guilty to the charge on May 13.
“Tax fraud is not a victimless crime,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Stealing from the  public fisc hurts all Americans, and those who flaunt the federal tax laws will be prosecuted.”

Court  records  show  that  Hunsche  owned  and  operated  a  pair  of  Troy-based  staffing   companies: Unique Risk Management and Unique Personal Consultants. The businesses employed  thousands of employees who were then leased to clients as temporary workers.

Between 2011 and 2016, Hunsche withheld federal incomes taxes, Social Security, and Medicare taxes  from his employees’ paychecks but never paid them over to the IRS, resulting in a loss to the 
United States in excess of $9.4 million.

Hunsche used approximately $4 million in unpaid payroll taxes for improvements to his personal  residence, located on 41 acres in Troy, including an indoor basketball court, a barn, a lake, and  partial construction of a home with a swimming pool.

“Today’s sentencing of Mr. Hunsche shows that the courts do not take lightly those individuals that  willfully  fail  to  pay  over  millions  in  federal  payroll  taxes,” said  Tyler  Hatcher,   Special  Agent  in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office. “Thousands of  employees trusted Mr. Hunsche to properly collect and pay employment taxes but Mr. Hunsche admitted  that he chose to spend  the  money  he  collected  to  build  his  empire.  IRS  Criminal  
Investigation  will  vigorously investigate employers who betray their duties to employees.”

As part of his sentence, Hunsche was also ordered to spend 18 months on supervised release. The  investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman R. Smith and Luke J. Weissler.
 

Pontoon Beach, Ill. – A St. Louis man who tried to buy cocaine in Illinois has been sentenced to  over 7 years  in prison. Steve  P. Kennedy, 51,  appeared  at the  federal  courthouse in East St. Louis   on Tuesday and was sentenced to 87 months behind bars for attempting to possess with the intent to  distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a  felon in possession of a firearm. Kennedy pled guilty to the charges in May.

The offenses all occurred on August 12, 2020, when, according to court documents, Kennedy and a  co-defendant, Stephen Brown, drove to a restaurant in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, intending to  purchase 2 kilograms of cocaine. The man they were meeting was a confidential source working at the  direction of law enforcement. DEA agents arrested Kennedy and Brown at the restaurant shortly after  they arrived.

At the time of his arrest, Kennedy was carrying a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol with an  attached silencer and seven loaded magazines, along with $33,000 in cash. Kennedy has a prior  felony drug conviction from Mississippi that prohibits him from lawfully possessing a gun.

Brown had another $5,000 in his car and was also charged. His sentencing will be held in October.

As part of the sentence, Chief United States District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel ordered Kennedy  to forfeit his interest in the seized cash, pay a $150 fine, and serve a 3-year term of supervised  release. The case was investigated by the DEA in Fairview Heights.
 

East St. Louis, Ill. – A Belleville man is facing at least 10 years in prison after a federal jury  found him guilty today of attempting to arrange sexual activity with a minor.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sean P. Van Horn, 49, responded on 
April  29, 2020,  to  a  Craigslist  ad  placed  by FBI  agents  advertising incest.  Van Horn   then  began exchanging emails with an undercover agent who portrayed himself as the father of a 
10-year-old girl. Over the course of roughly one month, Van Horn sent the agent multiple messages  that described in graphic terms the specific sexual acts that he wished to perform on the girl. Van 
Horn also asked to meet up with the agent and the fictitious girl so that he could have sex with  her.

FBI agents arrested Van Horn on May 28, 2020, when he showed up at the prearranged location in 
O’Fallon, Illinois.

Graphic messages sent by Van Horn to the undercover agent were shown to the jury during the two-  day trial held at the federal courthouse in Benton, Illinois. Jurors also heard a recorded call  that Van Horn made to his girlfriend while he was in custody in which he admitted to being on 
Craigslist “doing things I shouldn’t have been doing.”

Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 16, 2021, in front of United States District Judge Stacie M. 
Yandle. Attempted enticement of a minor is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in  prison.

FBI-Springfield conducted the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal and Casey Bloodworth.
 

EAST SAINT LOUIS, Ill. – Shomanicka Holly, 36, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, was arraigned in  federal court today after a grand jury returned an indictment charging her with three counts of  felony health care fraud.

The indictment alleges that Holly served as a personal assistant from 2016 to 2019 for a qualified  beneficiary enrolled in the Illinois Department of Human Services Home Services Program. The Home 
Services  Program  is  a  Medicaid  program  in  Illinois  that  provides  personal  assistants  to 
 Medicaid recipients to assist them with general household activities and personal care. It is  designed to reduce Medicaid expenditures by avoiding more expensive institutional care, including  nursing home care.

According  to  the  indictment,  Holly  submitted  false  timesheets  requesting  payment  for   personal assistant services that she never actually performed because she was working at another  job, not caring for  the  Medicaid  recipient.  In  doing  so,  Holly  allegedly  defrauded  the   program  and  breached  its policies stating that personal assistants “cannot charge [the Home 
Services Program] for the same hours  worked  when  working  another  job”  and  “billing  for   hours  not  worked  constitutes  Medicaid fraud.”

Holly’s case is set for trial on October 4, 2021, at 9:00am, before United States District Judge 
David W. Dugan in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis. If convicted, Holly faces a maximum penalty  of 10 years in prison on each fraud count.

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

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

EAST SAINT LOUIS, Ill. – Ronald Speiser, 81, and Jean Speiser, 81, of Freeburg, Illinois, pled  guilty today in federal court to two felony charges after defrauding an elderly family member out  of nearly $200,000.

The Speisers were designated as the victim’s power of attorney and successor power of attorney in  estate documents. In June 2018, they exercised their authority over the victim’s finances by  opening a joint account for Ronald Speiser and the victim 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 $29,000 camper and $23,000 truck, and making a down payment and thirteen mortgage  payments on a second home.

As part of the plea agreement, the Speisers agreed to a sentence including twelve months of home  confinement  and  full  restitution  to  the  victim,  including  $119,000  that  must  be  paid   before  their sentencing hearing. The Speisers’ sentencing is set for November 18, 2021, at 1:30pm  in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

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 
Federal Bureau o   Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Luke J. Weissler.
 

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Justice today launched five cross-jurisdictional  strike forces to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions  across  the  country.  Leveraging  existing  resources,  the  regional  strike  forces  will   better  ensure sustained and focused coordination across jurisdictions and help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms from source cities, through other communities, and into five key  market regions: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento Region and Washington, D.C.

Each strike force region will be led by designated United States Attorneys, who will collaborate  with the  Bureau  of  Alcohol,  Tobacco,  Firearms,  and  Explosives  (ATF)  and  with  state  and   local  law enforcement partners within their own jurisdiction (where firearms are used in crimes)  as well as law enforcement partners in areas where illegally trafficked guns originate. These  officials will use the latest  data,  evidence,  and  intelligence  from  crime  scenes  to   identify  patterns,  leads, and  potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

“All too often, guns found at crime scenes come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. We are  redoubling  our  efforts  as  ATF  works  with  law  enforcement  to  track  the  movement  of  illegal firearms used in violent crimes. These strike forces enable sustained coordination across multiple jurisdictions to help disrupt the worst gun trafficking corridors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department of Justice will use all of its tools – enforcement, prevention, intervention, and investment – to help ensure the safety of our communities – the department’s highest priority.”

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in Chicago originate  outside the Chicago area. The new strike force will help ensure sustained and focused coordination  between law  enforcement  and  prosecutors  in  Chicago  and  their  counterparts  in  those  other   locations.  The Southern District of Illinois stands ready to assist in these efforts as needed.

The  strike  forces  represent  one  important,  concrete  step  in  implementing  the  
Department’s Comprehensive  Violent  Crime  Reduction  Strategy,  which  was  announced  on  May  
26,  2021.  The comprehensive strategy supports local communities in preventing, investigating, and  prosecuting gun violence and other violent crime—and requires U.S. Attorneys’ offices to work with  federal, state, local  and  tribal  law  enforcement,  as  well  as  the  communities  they  serve,   to  address  the  most significant drivers of violence in their districts. In guidance to federal  agents and prosecutors as part of that comprehensive strategy, the Deputy Attorney General made  clear that firearms traffickers providing weapons to violent offenders are an enforcement priority across the country.

Since April 2021, the Department has taken the following steps to reduce and prevent violent crime, especially the gun crime that is often at the core of the problem: •     April 8, 2021 – Attorney General Garland, alongside President Biden, announced four  concrete steps for addressing gun violence:   ATF would propose a new rule   within 30 days to help  curb the proliferation of so-called ghost guns, ATF would propose a new rule within 60 days on  stabilizing braces used to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles, the Department would publish  model state extreme risk protection order legislation within 60 days; and ATF would begin preparing  a thorough and detailed new public study of firearms trafficking for the first time in 20 years.

•     In April 2021, the Office of Justice Programs also made clear when existing grant  funds could be used to support Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs.

•     On May 7, 2021, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, ATF issued a  notice of proposed rulemaking to update outdated firearms definitions and to help address the  proliferation of ghost guns.

•     May 26, 2021, the Attorney General announced the Department’s comprehensive strategy  to reduce violent crime, including an overall Department Violent Crime Reduction Strategy, the  strengthening of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and a directive to U.S. Attorneys to work with  their local partners in addressing the increase in violence that typically occurs over the summer 
(with specific support from DOJ law enforcement agencies)

•     On June 7, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, ATF issued a notice of  proposed rulemaking to clarify that the restrictions imposed by the National Firearms Act apply  when stabilizing braces are used to convert pistols into short-barreled rifles.

•     On June 8, meeting the Attorney General’s announced timeline, the Department  published model state extreme risk protection order legislation.

•     On June 22, 2021, the Attorney General announced that the Department would be  forming five Firearms Trafficking Strike Forces within 30 days.

On, June 23, 2021, the Attorney General, alongside President Biden, announced steps that ATF would take to hold rogue gun dealers accountable for their actions. They include applying a “no  tolerance” policy  for  federal  firearms  licensers (FFLs)  that willfully commit  violations   that  endanger  public safety; designating points of contact for state and local government  officials to report concerns about rogue  FFLs;  formalizing  the  use  of  public  safety  factors   for  inspection  prioritization;  sharing inspection information with states that regulate  firearms dealers themselves; resuming the practice of notifying  revoked  dealers  on  how  to   dispose  of  their  inventory  and  the  potential  criminal consequences of continuing to engage  in the business; increasing ATF’s resources for inspections;and publicly posting disaggregated inspection information to ATF’s website.
 

EAST  ST.  LOUIS,  Ill.  –  Lamondra  Beckley,  43,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  pleaded  guilty   today  to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a  drug trafficking offense, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Beckley has  been under federal indictment since April 6.

As part of his guilty plea, Beckley admitted 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 also possessed a Taurus Model 709 Slim handgun. Beckley has a prior felony conviction that  prohibits him from lawfully possessing a firearm.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 10 at 10:00 a.m. in East St. Louis. Under federal law, Beckley  faces at least 5 years imprisonment. United States District Judge David W. Dugan will determine any  sentence after considering the federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Beckley is one of two co-defendants named in the indictment. The other man – Deandre Young, 42, of 
St. Louis – is charged with aiding and abetting Beckley in the possession of methamphetamine with  intent to distribute and with possessing a Beretta Model .25 Panther handgun in furtherance of the  offense.  Young’s  trial  is  scheduled  for  October  4.  Members  of  the  public  are  reminded   that  an indictment is merely a formal charge, and all criminal defendants are presumed innocent  until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case against Beckley and Young is being investigated by the DEA in Fairview Heights.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak is prosecuting the case.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Jeremy D. Mosby, 28, of Madison, Illinois, has been sentenced to 63 months  for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Mosby pleaded guilty to the charge in 
March.
On Feb. 16, 2020, Mosby drove a rental car to the BP Crown Food Mart in East St. Louis. According  to court documents, Mosby was caught on surveillance video standing outside talking to another man  identified as J.H. Mosby had a gun tucked into his waistband. Both men got into the car and  continued their conversation. A struggle ensued, and Mosby got out and fired his gun into the car. 
J.H. fled the parking lot in Mosby’s rental car.

East St. Louis police officers stationed nearby heard the gunshots and responded to the scene. 
Mosby matched the description of the shooter and was walking across the parking lot talking on his  cell phone when officers arrived. A 9mm semi-automatic handgun was found nearby under a bush. 
Officers also recovered 13 spent 9mm shell casings from the scene. One of the shots fired by Mosby  hit the East St. Louis City Hall vestibule.

When he was arrested, Mosby was found in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine and
$5,500 in cash. Mosby later admitted to police that he was the shooter but claimed he was being  robbed and only fired in self-defense. Court records show Mosby has a 2014 felony conviction for  unlawful possession of a firearm in St. Clair County circuit court.

In addition to his prison term, Mosby was ordered to serve 3 years on supervised release and pay a
$100 fine.

The  case  was  investigated  by  the  East  St.  Louis  Police  Department  and  the  Bureau  of  
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.

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.
 

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. – The former treasurer of the Perry County Agricultural Society (“PCAS”) is under federal indictment for defrauding the PCAS out of more than $100,000. Billy E. Harris, 47, is  charged with 10 counts of mail fraud. Harris served as the treasurer of the PCAS from 2011-2018 and  currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

The PCAS operates all the festivals at the Perry County Fairgrounds in Pinckneyville, including the 
Perry County Fair. According to the indictment, from June 5, 2012, through October 3, 2018, Harris  used the PCAS bank account to pay his personal expenses and purchase items for his personal use. 
The  indictment  lists  many  of  the  personal  items  Harris  allegedly  purchased  using  PCAS   funds, including a WiFi router, Apple AirPods, a Himalyan salt lamp air purifier, 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 “beard lube.” Many of the items were allegedly purchased through Amazon. 
Harris is also charged with writing checks on the PCAS account payable to himself and his spouse  and forging a PCAS board member’s signature on the checks.

Harris is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on July 19, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate 
Judge Reona Daly of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. If convicted, he  faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will  determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory  factors.

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

The St. Louis Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Pinckneyville Police Department  are investigating the case, with assistance from the Perry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuting the case.
 

FAIRVIEW  HEIGHTS,  Ill.  –  Christopher  R.  Grant,  47,  of  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  faces   the possibility of life without parole following his guilty plea earlier today to a series of  federal charges in connection with the 2019 murder of Illinois State Trooper Nicholas Hopkins. Tpr. 
Hopkins, 33, was killed in the line of duty while attempting to execute a state search warrant at 
Grant’s house in East St. Louis.

Appearing in federal district court today, Grant pled guilty to 6 federal crimes, including using a  firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“From the first hours of this investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has pledged to vigorously  pursue  justice  for  Trooper  Hopkins  and  his  family,”  said  U.S.  Attorney  Steven  D.  
Weinhoeft. “Today’s conviction is an important step toward keeping that solemn promise. Our  thoughts and prayers remain with his family, and we will continue our work to honor his sacrifice.”

On March 18, 2020, a federal grand jury returned an 8-count indictment against Grant, charging him  with distributing crack cocaine (3 counts), maintaining a drug house, possession of a firearm by a  convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, use of a  firearm  in  furtherance  of  a  drug  trafficking  crime,  and  use  of  a  firearm  to  commit   murder  in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges for possessing and using a firearm during a federal drug  crime after Grant pleaded guilty to murder, although the dismissal of those lesser counts does not  change the statutory penalties Grant faces.

Leading up to the murder, an  Illinois State Police investigation showed that Grant was selling  marijuana  and  crack  cocaine  from  his  home  on  North  42ⁿᵈ  Street,  in  East  St.  Louis.  
Officers conducted a series of  controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Grant and obtained a  search warrant to search his house. The ISP SWAT Team was called in to help execute the warrant  after it was learned that Grant had a cache of weapons inside.

On the morning of Aug. 23, 2019, Tpr. Hopkins and two other SWAT Team members went onto
Grant’s porch to connect chains from the front hooks of a police Ford F350 to a set of steel bars

protecting the front door. Officers were preparing to forcibly remove the steel bars from the door frame so they could enter through the front door.

Grant later told officers that he was sleeping on the couch in the living room close to the front  door when the activity on the porch woke him up. Grant claimed that he suspected someone was there  to rob him, as he had been robbed of cash and drugs roughly two weeks earlier. As part of his  guilty plea, he admitted that he had been sleeping on a .9 mm handgun and that he fired the gun  three times towards whoever was on his porch.

Tpr. Hopkins had just finished connecting the chain to the steel bars on the front of the house and  was turning to walk back down the steps when one of Grant’s gunshots passed through the wooden door  and struck him in the head, entering through his right temple. Officers returned directed fire as  other ISP SWAT Team members rushed to Hopkins’ rescue. He was transported to St. Louis University 
Hospital, but all life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. on 
Aug. 23, 2019.

A later search of the house recovered 8 firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, an AK-47 rifle, and  five handguns. Grant’s DNA was found on the murder weapon: a Glock Model 19, 9 mm pistol.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 9, 2021. Using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a drug  trafficking crime is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Chief United States 
District  Judge  Nancy  J.  Rosenstengel  will  determine  the  sentence  after  considering  the  
U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being investigated by the Illinois State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,  Firearms & Explosives. U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali M.
Summers are prosecuting the case.
 

WASHINGTON – AAR  Corp., located  in Wood  Dale,  Illinois, and  its subsidiary, AAR Airlift
Group  Inc.  (Airlift),  located  in  Melbourne,  Florida,  have  agreed  to  pay  the  United  
States
$11,088,000  to  resolve  allegations  that  they  violated  the  False  Claims  Act  in   connection  with aircraft maintenance services performed by Airlift on two United States 
Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) contracts.

The  allegations  involve  helicopters  that  Airlift  owned  and  maintained  for  use  in   transporting Department of Defense (DoD) cargo and personnel in support of DoD missions in 
Afghanistan and  Africa.  The  settlement  resolves  allegations  that  Airlift  knowingly  failed   to  maintain  nine aircraft in accordance with contract requirements, and that because of this  failure, the helicopters were not airworthy and should not have been certified by Airlift as “fully  mission capable.”

AAR  and  Airlift  have  also  agreed  to  pay  $429,273.69  to  resolve  a  separate  Federal  
Aviation Administration (FAA) matter citing certain deficiencies in Airlift’s helicopter  maintenance.

“The knowing failure to comply with contractual obligations is unacceptable, particularly when such  violations raise safety concerns” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton for the 
Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement reaffirms that the government will  hold   contractors  to  the  quality  and  safety  standards  in  their  contracts  that  are intended  to  protect our men and women in uniform.”

“Defense contracting is a special trust because it supports the service members who protect our  nation’s interests around the world. Whenever a military contractor cuts corners, it presents not  only a possible fraud against taxpayers but also a potential safety hazard to our service members,”  said Steven D.  Weinhoeft, U.S. Attorney  for the  Southern District of  Illinois. “The settlement  announced today addresses both of those concerns. I am especially grateful to my staff, the many  dedicated agents who worked on this matter, and the witnesses who came forward.”

“Our military is entitled to rely on high level contractor performance when it procures essential  services  like  those  at  issue  here,”  said  Acting  U.S.  Attorney  Karin  Hoppmann  for  the  
Middle District  of  Florida.  “We  are  grateful  for  the  diligent  and  collaborative  work   put  into  this investigation by the Southern District of Illinois, the Department of Justice Civil 
Frauds Section, and all of the investigative agencies who supported these cases.

“Failure to properly maintain aircraft is unacceptable under any circumstances, but it’s especially  egregious in a war zone, where the lives of America’s warfighters are on the line,” said John F. 
Sopko,  Special  Inspector  General  for  Afghanistan  Reconstruction.  “I’m  proud  of  the  work   of SIGAR’s special agents – in Afghanistan and the United States – whose collaboration brought this  case to a successful conclusion.”

“The  Department  of  the  Air  Force  Office  of  Special  Investigations  (OSI)  commends  the  complainant  for  coming  forward,  which  allowed  us  and  our  joint  investigative  partners   to vigorously protect the DoD’s procurement process, preserve the military’s ability to carry out  its warfighting mission and ensured the wrongdoers were held accountable,” said Special Agent in 
Charge Nicholas J. Groesbeck of the OSI Procurement Fraud Detachment 4, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

“This case demonstrates the commitment of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), along  with our partner agencies, to aggressively go after those who disregard and ignore critical safety  and contractual specifications on Department of Defense contracts,” said Acting Special Agent in 
Charge Gregory P. Shilling of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “Today’s resolution highlights the  culmination of investigative efforts to hold those who supply  the Department of Defense  accountable for their product and actions.”

“It is unacceptable that anyone would bypass contractual agreements and most importantly safety  guidelines  meant  to  ensure  the  wellbeing  of  our  American  service  men  and  women,”  said 
Christopher Grey, spokesperson for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID). “We will  continue to aggressively investigate allegations such as this and work closely with our law  enforcement partners to bring a successful resolution.”

“The failure to perform critical maintenance to Department of Defense aircraft poses a grave and  unnecessary  threat  to  our  nation’s  military  readiness,”  said  Special  Agent  in  Charge  
Michael DeFamio of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Central Field Office. “NCIS and  our federal law enforcement partners remain committed to fully investigating any and all  allegations of  contract  fraud  that  compromises  the  safety  of  our  service  members  and   wastes  American taxpayer money.”

“Those certified to perform critical safety aircraft inspections and maintenance work are expected  to adhere to aviation regulations in order to ensure that safety is not compromised,” said Special 
Agent-in-Charge  Todd  Damiani  of  the  U.S.  Department  of  Transportation  Office  of  
Inspector General,  Southern  Region.  “The  settlement  reached  today  clearly  demonstrates   that  we  will vigorously pursue those who choose profits over the quality and integrity of the  work they are contracted to perform.”

“Improperly maintaining aircraft creates a safety risk that we absolutely will not tolerate,” said 
FAA   Administrator   Steve   Dickson.   “Today’s   agreement   makes   clear   that   disregard    for maintenance requirements is unacceptable.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Christopher Harvey, a former Airlift employee. The act permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Harvey v. AAR Corp., et al., No. 3:15-cv-00390 (S.D. Ill.). Mr. Harvey will receive $2,162,160 of the False Claims Act settlement.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil 
Division’s  Commercial  Litigation  Branch,  Fraud  Section,  the  U.S.  Attorney’s  Office  for   the Southern District of Illinois, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of 
Florida, with assistance from USTRANSCOM, the FAA, Air Force OSI, DCIS, NCIS, Army CID, Department  of Transportation Office of the Inspector General, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), and 
SIGAR.

The case was investigated by Trial Attorney Elspeth A. England and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan 
D. Stump and Laura J. Barke of the Southern District of Illinois and Randy Harwell of the Middle 
District of Florida.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
 

East St. Louis, Ill. – Lloyd Parker, 32, of Hutchinson, Kansas, was sentenced last week to 262  months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Parker pled guilty to  the charged conspiracies, as well as distribution and possession of methamphetamine, on March 9,  2021.

The crimes took place between 2014 and 2018 and involved the distribution of drugs in East St. 
Louis, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Ontario, California; Houston, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee;  Jackson, Mississippi;  and  other locations.  Overall,  the  organization  was  responsible  for  the  distribution  of approximately 240 pounds of methamphetamine and 48 kilograms of cocaine in  the Southern District of Illinois and elsewhere. Parker personally distributed or assisted in the  acquisition of over 60 pounds of methamphetamine and over 5 kilograms of cocaine.

As part of his sentence, Parker was ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release and pay  a $700 fine. Some of Parker’s alleged co-conspirators were charged in the same case, and several are  still awaiting trial.

This  prosecution  is  part  of  an  Organized  Crime  Drug  Enforcement  Task  Forces  (OCDETF)  investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers,  money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States  by using a prosecutor-led,  intelligence-driven,  multi-agency  approach  that  leverages  the   strengths  of  federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was investigated by the DEA, the IRS, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the
Illinois State Police, and other law enforcement agencies.
 

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Six more men from Missouri and Illinois are facing federal charges for attempting to engage in sexual activity with minors.

Eric E. Hamilton, II, 22, of Maryland Heights, Missouri, is charged with attempted enticement of a  minor and traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Godfrey C. Hubbard, 52, of Sorento, Illinois, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor. 
Justin Schneider, 33, of Edwardsville, Illinois, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor.
Christopher  M.  Simmons,  30,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  is  charged  with  attempted   commercial  sex trafficking of a child, attempted enticement of a minor, and traveling across state  lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

Michael James Smith, 39, of Barnhart, Missouri, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor. 
James Tiroch, 37, of Florissant, Missouri, is charged with attempted enticement of a minor.
The cases are the result of an FBI-led operation involving multiple federal and state law  enforcement agencies aimed at rooting out internet users attempting to meet children for sex. All  six men have been charged by federal complaint. The crimes allegedly occurred in the Southern 
District of Illinois.
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft and FBI-Springfield Special Agent in Charge Sean M. Cox made the  announcement.

“Children are vulnerable to sexual exploitation across the internet,” said U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft. 
“That’s why we are continually updating our investigative techniques and casting a wide net over a  variety of online applications and other internet platforms where children are at risk. To anyone  who would prey on our kids, know this: law enforcement is watching, and you will be caught.”

“The FBI works tirelessly in collaboration with our federal, state, and local law enforcement  partners to shut down child predators in hopes of preventing what could be a lifetime of trauma for  victims,” said SAC Cox. “Children tend to be trusting online and will befriend strangers of any age  or gender. Offenders take advantage of this naivety and target children who openly engage others  online or who have  a  strong  social  networking  presence.  Parents  and  guardians  are  the   first  line  of  defense  in preventing access to their children. Talk to your children, know what  they’re doing online, and if you suspect suspicious activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the FBI.”

All six defendants are accused of using the internet to entice someone under 17 years old to engage in unlawful sexual activity and traveling to a specific location to engage in sexual acts with a  minor. Some of the defendants allegedly traveled across state lines and/or offered to pay for sex,  leading to additional charges. Several of them allegedly had items with them when they were  arrested, including alcohol, sex toys, condoms, and candy. No actual minors were harmed during the  two-day operation.

If convicted, the defendants each face at least 10 years in prison and could receive as much as  life behind bars. Traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor is punishable by up to 30  years in prison. All of the offenses also carry a possible lifetime term of supervised release and  fines of up to
$250,000.

Pending trial, all six defendants will be held without bond or released on electronic monitoring  and other strict conditions, as required by federal law for these offenses.

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

These cases fall under the umbrella 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.”

The investigation was led by FBI-Springfield, with assistance from FBI-St. Louis, U.S. Air Force 
Office  of  Special  Investigations,  the  Collinsville  Police  Department,  the  Edwardsville  
Police Department,   the   Illinois   State   Police,   the   Southern   Illinois   
University-Edwardsville   Police Department, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, the Madison 
County States Attorney’s Office, the Alton  Police  Department,  the  Monroe  County  Sheriff’s  
Office,  the  Macoupin  County  Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the 
Carlyle Police Department.

The cases will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal and Ali Burns.
[An earlier version of this press release inadvertently omitted the Macoupin County Sheriff’s 
Office.]
 

Columbia, Ill. – The former mayor of Columbia, Illinois, Kevin Hutchinson, was sentenced on Monday to two years’ probation, a $500 fine, and 40 hours of community service for lying to federal investigators about referral commissions he received on city contracts.
Hutchinson, 56, had been charged with one count of making a false statement to the federal Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force, also referred to as the Metro-East Public Corruption Task Force. He resigned as mayor of the Monroe County town after his indictment by a federal grand jury in February. Hutchinson pled guilty to the charge in March.
The federal indictment described Hutchinson as a licensed insurance agent who owned a closely held Illinois corporation called BMC Associates, Inc. Unbeknownst to the city council or the city manager, Hutchinson and his corporation received referral commissions from certain insurance contracts the city of Columbia placed with two other companies.
Under the Illinois Public Officer Prohibited Activities law, Hutchinson was prohibited from having a personal financial interest (direct or indirect) in any contract, work, or business of the municipality. Hutchinson failed to disclose his referral commissions on an annual ethics form filed with the county clerk in 2018. The following year, when questioned by an FBI agent and a federal task force officer, he falsely reported that he had no personal financial interest in the city’s insurance contract with one of the two companies.
FBI-Springfield investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith prosecuted the case

EAST  ST.  LOUIS,  Ill.  –  A  federal  grand  jury  in  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  has  returned  a  7-count indictment charging Talfanita M. Cobb, 49, of East St. Louis, with participating in a scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $800,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from three states. The indictment  charges  Cobb  with  conspiracy,  mail  fraud, and  aggravated  identity  theft.  Some  of  the money allegedly came from federal pandemic unemployment compensation funds.
“The  COVID-19  pandemic  has  caused  tremendous  pain  and  suffering  in  our  country,”  said 
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “So many Americans have lost their lives, and many thousands more face severe economic hardship after losing their jobs. For those most affected, the federal government has approved special funds. It is reprehensible that unscrupulous individuals would take advantage of these new programs to line their own pockets. These individuals should take note: we will investigate and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the indictment, Cobb’s co-conspirators used stolen identities to apply for unemployment insurance benefits in Arizona, Ohio, and Texas. Each application allegedly listed
Cobb’s address in East St. Louis as the address of the applicant. The applications were approved, and unemployment benefits were issued to the individuals whose names and identities had been stolen. Some of the funds were allegedly deposited directly into a bank account controlled by Cobb.
After a short time, however, the  co-conspirators  were  able  to  acquire  debit  cards,  which  the  states  issued  in  the  names  of  the identity theft victims and allegedly mailed to Cobb in
East St. Louis.

The indictment alleges that, after she received the unemployment debit cards in the mail, Cobb went to various ATMs in the Metro East and withdrew funds from the cards. She is accused of transferring some of the funds to a co-conspirator using Bitcoin and keeping a percentage of the money for herself.

Inspector  in  Charge  William  Hedrick  of  the  United  States  Postal  Inspection  Service’s 
Chicago Division  stated,  “Individuals  who  use  the  U.S.  Mail  to  steal public benefit money designated for citizens suffering unemployment as a  result of a  pandemic must  be held  accountable.  The  Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who wish to exploit relief funding for their own personal benefit.”

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.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Ricardo D. Minor, 40, of Cahokia, Illinois, will be spending 15 years in federal prison for enticing a minor to have sex with him.   Minor was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment for enticement of a minor; traveling with intent to have sex with a minor; and attempting to obstruct his prosecution. Minor will also serve ten years of supervised release after release from prison.
According to court documents, the crimes occurred between June 14, 2017 and September 3, 2017, while Minor was working as a Behavioral Health Specialist at a local hospital and the victim was a patient.   Minor admitted that he used his cell phone and internet to contact the victim to have sex with him on several occasions in homes in Collinsville, Illinois, and Cahokia, Illinois. Minor was also a driver for Uber and would take the victim with him on trips to have sex. The Court also heard evidence regarding other allegations of criminal and inappropriate sexual contact by Minor, including with patients receiving therapy at the same hospital.

The obstruction charge was based upon Minor’s activity between August 2017 and November 27, 2017.  
 During  this  time,  he  attempted  to  obstruct  his  prosecution  by  contacting  the  victim  and witnesses to get them to lie regarding his criminal conduct.   One witness was asked to call the family of the victim to get the family not to pursue charges.

The Court in sentencing Minor said that his conduct was “reprehensible” and noted that the 15-year sentence of imprisonment was needed to deter further criminal conduct.

After the sentencing U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “This case is so egregious because the defendant preyed on a vulnerable victim who he knew was receiving behavioral health treatment.” He cautioned parents that, “The case serves to highlight how important it is for parents to monitor their children’s internet and cell phone usage because sexual predators rely on their cell phones to gain access to victims.”

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  Collinsville  Police  Department,  the  St.  Louis  County 
Police
Department and the FBI.   Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott prosecuted the case.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – An East St. Louis man will spend 5 years in prison for shooting a gun into  the air at a child’s birthday party. Marco B. Orr, 32, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal  prison. Orr pled guilty in April to one count of unlawful firearm possession by a convicted felon.
According to court records and evidence presented at his sentencing hearing, the crime occurred on 
May 2, 2020, when Orr was in possession of an AR-15 style rifle at a child’s birthday party in East 
St. Louis. Orr was seen on surveillance camera discharging the rifle into the air numerous times. 
East St. Louis police later recovered the rifle inside a vehicle. It was loaded with 17 rounds of  ammunition in a high capacity magazine. Orr was prohibited from possessing a gun due to a prior  felony conviction for aggravated battery involving the use of a firearm.

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

The case was investigated by the East St. Louis Police Department and the United States Marshals 
Service Great Lakes Regional Task Force, with support from ATF and the Illinois State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandria Burns prosecuted the case.

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.
 

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Ricardo D. Minor, 40, of Cahokia, Illinois, will be spending 15 years in federal prison for enticing a minor to have sex with him.   Minor was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment for enticement of a minor; traveling with intent to have sex with a minor; and attempting to obstruct his prosecution. Minor will also serve ten years of supervised release after release from prison.
According to court documents, the crimes occurred between June 14, 2017 and September 3, 2017, while Minor was working as a Behavioral Health Specialist at a local hospital and the victim was a patient.   Minor admitted that he used his cell phone and internet to contact the victim to have sex with him on several occasions in homes in Collinsville, Illinois, and Cahokia, Illinois. Minor was also a driver for Uber and would take the victim with him on trips to have sex. The Court also heard evidence regarding other allegations of criminal and inappropriate sexual contact by Minor, including with patients receiving therapy at the same hospital.

The obstruction charge was based upon Minor’s activity between August 2017 and November 27, 2017. During this  time,  he  attempted  to  obstruct  his  prosecution  by  contacting  the  victim and witnesses to get them to lie regarding his criminal conduct. One witness was asked to call the family of the victim to get the family not to pursue charges.

The Court in sentencing Minor said that his conduct was “reprehensible” and noted that the 15-year sentence of imprisonment was needed to deter further criminal conduct.

After the sentencing U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said, “This case is so egregious because the defendant preyed on a vulnerable victim who he knew was receiving behavioral health treatment.” He cautioned parents that, “The case serves to highlight how important it is for parents to monitor their children’s internet and cell phone usage because sexual predators rely on their cell phones to gain access to victims.”

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  Collinsville  Police  Department,  the  St.  Louis  County Police Department and the FBI.   Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott prosecuted the case.

Metropolis, Ill. – Shawn Nowlin, 55, of Metropolis, Illinois, has been sentenced to one year in prison for assisting in the preparation of false federal tax returns.

Court records show that Nowlin was an unauthorized tax preparer and operated under various names, including Snowlin Tax and Prep, LLC. From 2014 to 2018, he prepared approximately 291 federal tax returns and falsified wage and withholding amounts and other W-2 information, resulting in a loss to the United States of nearly $2 million dollars.

“Tax preparers who abuse the system for their own gain must be held to account,” said U.S. Attorney
Steven  D.  Weinhoeft.  “Prosecutions  like  this  one  send  an  important  message  to  fraudulent  tax preparers: if you break the rules, you will face the consequences.”

IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith prosecuted the case.

Mascoutah, Ill. – The former water treatment manager for the City of Mascoutah has been sentenced for accepting illegal gratuities. Richard Lowell Jones, 60, of Troy, Illinois, was sentenced to 3 years’ probation, with the first 6 months on home confinement.

According to court documents, Jones served as the city water treatment manager from 2016 to early
2020.  During  that  time,  he  ordered  chemicals  and  services  on  behalf  of  the  city  and  received  a kickback from the vendor in the form of 10% of the total purchases, which he kept for himself as a personal commission.

Public officials are prohibited from using their positions to further their own financial interests. When those positions are funded in part by federal dollars, the offense can be prosecuted federally.

As  part  of  his  sentence,  Jones  was  ordered  to  complete  40  hours  of  community  service  and  pay restitution to the City of Mascoutah in the amount of $27,232.70.
FBI-Springfield and the Mascoutah Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith prosecuted the case.
###

East St. Louis, Ill. – A convicted felon from the Metro East is headed to prison for possessing a loaded rifle. Fernandez White, 28, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced on Thursday to the statutory maximum term of 10 years in prison. White previously pled guilty to the offense in
February.
According to court documents, the case against White began on Oct. 31, 2020, when a woman notified the East St. Louis Housing Authority that she had been stopped by a man asking for a ride. When the woman  refused,  the  man  reportedly  grew  angry,  brandished  a  rifle,  and  walked  away. 
Officers approached the man, later identified as White, and took him into custody without incident.
The rifle was recovered and determined to be stolen. It was loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition.

At the sentencing hearing, the district court heard evidence that at the time of the offense White was on  probation  for  robbery  and  out  on  bond  for  three  separate  felony  offenses.  In  fact,  White  was wearing an electronic location monitor on his ankle when he was arrested.

The case was investigated by the Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG), the East St. Louis Police
Department, the East St. Louis Housing Authority Police, and the ATF. PSEG is a newly formed
Illinois State Police unit embedded in and working in direct partnership with the East St. Louis
Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Reppert prosecuted the case.

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  a  d  partners  with  locally  based  prevention  and  reentry  programs  for  lasting reductions in crime.

Fairview Heights, Ill. – Two Nebraska men were sentenced this week to lengthy prison terms for committing a series of armed robberies in Effingham, Illinois, and the Metro East in April 2017.
Allen McCray, 23, and Victor Linton, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, appeared in federal district court in the Southern District of Illinois this week and were sentenced to 26 years and 24 years, respectively.

According to court documents, McCray, Linton, and a third man – Brandon D. English, Jr., 21 – stole a Hyundai Santa Fe out of a Nebraska driveway and went on a week-long, multi-state crime spree. The  first  robbery  took  place  on  April  13,  2017,  in  Raytown,  Missouri,  where  they  held  up  a convenience store. Receipts recovered later from the Santa Fe show they used the proceeds from the robbery to make cash purchases at Dollar General, Rally House, Foot Locker, and TJ Maxx locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Two nights later, the trio covered their hair and faces and entered a Moto Mart in O’Fallon, Illinois, where English put a gun to the cashier’s head and demanded money. They also struck the cashier with her own purse before taking money out of her cash register and leaving. Less than an hour later, the men used similar methods to rob a Circle K in Troy, Illinois, and a Casey’s General
Store in Maryville.

After purchasing ammunition and attempting to purchase another gun, the three robbers left the
Metro East, driving first to the Chicago area and from there to Indianapolis. They returned to
Illinois on April 19, 2017, where McCray and Linton stopped in a Prime Sole shoe store in
Effingham. When they tried to take merchandise without paying, a store employee confronted them.
McCray pulled out a gun and fired a shot at the clerk. The two men then fled the scene with the stolen items.

McCray and Linton eventually abandoned the Santa Fe in Booneville, Missouri, when they missed the turn into the Break Time gas station just after midnight on April 21, 2017. The men spotted a truck in the parking lot and fired six shots into the vehicle, striking the driver four times.
Eventually, they stole another vehicle and led law enforcement on a chase through Lafayette County, Missouri. Spikes were used to stop the vehicle, and the pair were taken into custody.

All three defendants entered guilty pleas to conspiracy, robbery (three counts), and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. McCray and Linton also pled guilty to a fourth robbery count and to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
English was sentenced in December 2018 to 20 years in prison.

In addition to their terms of imprisonment, McCray and Linton will both serve 5 years of supervised release and pay $793.51 in restitution.

The  FBI  led  the  investigation,  with  assistance  from  state  and  local  law  enforcement  agencies, including  the  O’Fallon  Police  Department,  the  Maryville  Police  Department,  the 
Troy  Police
Department, Illinois State Police, and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Fairview Heights, Ill. – An Omaha, Nebraska man pled guilty and was sentenced yesterday to 239 months in prison for attempting to rob a Walgreens in Swansea, Illinois.

According to court documents, on Sept. 15, 2019, Christopher Easterling, 23, entered the Walgreens located at 2532 N. Illinois Street, approached the cashier, brandished a firearm, and said “let’s get this going, babe.” The cashier immediately ran away. After stepping behind the counter and briefly surveying the scene, Easterling left the store without taking anything. He was apprehended minutes later by the Swansea Police Department.

Easterling pled guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with attempted armed robbery of the
Walgreens, brandishing a firearm during the crime, and unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon.

In handing down the nearly 20-year sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel noted as aggravating factors that Easterling had committed the offense while on parole for another attempted robbery in Nebraska in 2016, and that he has another robbery conviction from Nebraska in
2014.

Upon his release from prison, Easterling will serve 5 years on supervised release. The ATF and the
Swansea Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Reppert prosecuted the case.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A St. Clair County man is under federal indictment on multiple charges involving producing and distributing sexually explicit images of minors. Zachary Dennert, 19, of Belleville, Illinois, is accused of coercing two minors, including one under the age of 12 years old, to produce visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct. The offenses occurred between January and August 2020.

The four-count federal indictment further alleges that Dennert transported images of a third minor victim  in  August  2020  and  distributed  an  image  of  child pornography  over  the  internet in September 2020.

On May 26, 2021, Dennert appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Mark A. Beatty and entered  a not guilty plea. He is being held in custody pending a detention hearing next week.

Each count of producing child pornography is punishable by at least 15 years and up to 30 years in  prison. For the other charges, Dennert faces a possible penalty of 5-20 years’ imprisonment. All  four counts are also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

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

The case is being investigated by O’Fallon Police Department and United States Secret Service. 
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandria Burns is prosecuting the case.

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 St. Louis man is heading to prison after arranging to purchase a kilogram  of cocaine. Ifiok J. Equere, 54, appeared in federal district court today and was sentenced to 70  months in prison for attempting to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of  cocaine. Equere pled guilty to the charge last November.
The offense occurred on March 15, 2019. According to court documents, Equere arranged to purchase  cocaine from a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement. Equere was  operating as a middleman for a third-party distributor and agreed to meet the source at a  predetermined location in Madison County, Illinois. Equere agreed to pay $27,800 for a kilogram of  cocaine.

While in route to make the purchase, Equere and the distributor were pulled over on I-270 in 
Madison County. Officers searched the car and found $27,800 in the glove compartment. Equere was  set to receive $500 as payment for setting up the transaction.

As part of his sentence, Equere was ordered to forfeit his interest in the $27,800 seized from his  car and pay a $200 fine. Upon his release from prison, Equere will serve a 4-year term of  supervised release.

This cas   was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T.
Kapsak.
 

BENTON, Ill. – Johnny J. Collado, 30, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison and 2 years of court supervision after his release. In January, Collado pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. His co-defendant, Elvin
Lugo-Cales, was sentenced to 51 months in prison on May 6.

On March 2, 2020, Collado and Lugo-Cales flew from New York to St. Louis for the sole purpose of defrauding banks using stolen identities. They were paid members of a criminal organization based in New York. Collado was the driver and coordinated the scheme through text messages with a co-conspirator in New York. Lugo- Cales was known in the scheme as a “soldier” – a person willing to travel to a new city, walk into banks, and conduct fraudulent transactions face-to-face with bank tellers using fake IDs and counterfeit checks.

On March 5, 2020, Collado drove Lugo-Cales in a rental car to a US Bank location in Edwardsville, Illinois. Lugo-Cales went inside the bank while Collado waited in the car. Lugo-Cales walked up to a bank teller and presented  a  counterfeit  check  in  the  amount  of  $3,650.00  made  payable  to  an  identity  theft  victim  from Colorado. The check had a forged endorsement and the victim’s social security number written on the back. Lugo-Cales also presented a false U.S. passport card bearing Lugo-Cales’ photograph and the name of the victim. He then asked the bank teller to cash the check.

The bank teller recalled an internal e-mail she had received warning branches about a man traveling around the St. Louis area attempting to cash counterfeit  checks. Seeing that  Lugo-Cales fit  the description of the suspect, she notified her bank manager and stalled the transaction while the bank manager called the police.

Lugo-Cales grew nervous and demanded the bank teller return his check and passport card. When the teller refused, he left the bank and drove away with Collado, leaving behind the counterfeit check and passport card with his picture on it. The two men were pulled over and arrested nearby.

Police found numerous items concealed under Collado’s clothing, including over $25,000 in cash, multiple counterfeit IDs, counterfeit credit cards, and 19 blank counterfeit checks. A subsequent search of Collado’s cell phone revealed that he had traveled to at least two other cities to conduct the same scam with the names and banking information of at least 45 identity theft victims.

During the sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Staci M. Yandle remarked that “identity theft is a big problem that has severe and lasting consequences” for victims.

The investigation was conducted by the Edwardsville Police Department and United States Secret
Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.

East St. Louis, Ill. – A Collinsville man pled guilty today to a Federal Grand Jury Indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine in East St. Louis, Illinois.

According to plea documents filed in United States District Court, Deonta J. Thomas, of
Collinsville, Illinois, sold 442 grams of methamphetamine during a Drug Enforcement Administration undercover operation in East St. Louis, Illinois.

Thomas  is  scheduled  to  be  sentenced  in  United  States  District  Court  on  August  18,  2021.  At sentencing, Thomas faces a period of incarceration from 10 years to life imprisonment.  
In addition, Thomas faces 5 years of supervised release following release from prison and could be fined up to $10,000,000.

The  case  was  investigated  by  the  Drug  Enforcement  Administration  and  is  being  prosecuted  by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.

TROY, Ill. – A Troy, Illinois businessman has entered a guilty plea on a charge that he willfully failed to pay millions in federal payroll taxes. Gary Hunsche, 54, admitted in federal court today that he committed the offense while serving as the owner-operator of a Troy-based staffing company called Unique Personnel Consultants.
“Business owners have a responsibility to withhold federal income taxes for their employees and then remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service,” said David Talcott, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “Investigations of employment tax  fraud  is  one  of  the  priorities  for  IRS  CI special  agents,  and  those  individuals  who  cheat  their employees and other honest taxpayers will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to court records, from 2014-2016, Hunsche properly withheld over $8 million in federal taxes from the paychecks of roughly 3,000 to 5,000 employees, most of whom were hired out to clients as temporary workers. But rather than paying the full amount to the IRS, Hunsche kept over
$4 million of it for himself. As part of his plea, Hunsche acknowledged using a portion of the unpaid taxes on his own residence, including landscaping work, a barn with a full-size indoor basketball court, and partial construction of a new home.

Hunsche is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 17, 2021 and faces up to five years in prison. United
States District Judge Staci M. Yandle will determine the sentence after considering the U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

IRS Criminal Investigation agents conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman R. Smith and Luke Weissler are prosecuting the case.

If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with the tax laws, please contact the local IRS Criminal Investigation Office at (618) 622-2160 or visit this website: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/how-do-you-report-suspected-tax-fraud-activity.

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft joined today with federal officials across the Department of Justice to recognize the service and sacrifice of all federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement officers, in honor of National Police Week.

Each year, during National Police Week, our nation celebrates the contributions of law enforcement from around the country, recognizing their hard work, dedication, loyalty, and commitment to keeping our communities safe. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the courage of our law enforcement officers and the devotion to the communities they have sworn to serve.

“This week is a time to honor our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “I am constantly inspired by the extraordinary courage and dedication with which members of law enforcement act each day, putting their lives on the line to make our communities safer. To members of law enforcement and your families: we know that not a single day, nor a single week, is enough to recognize your service and sacrifice. On behalf of the entire Department of Justice, you have our unwavering support and eternal gratitude.”

“Protecting and serving our communities has never been more difficult, more demanding, or more dangerous than it is today,” said U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft. “In the past year, we have seen so many brave and selfless officers put themselves in harm’s way to ensure the safety of others. We know most stories of police heroism go untold. This week is a great opportunity to say thank you to the unsung heroes of our community.”

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and
National Police Week, to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. This year, the week falls from Sunday, May 9, through Saturday, May 15, 2021. Peace
Officers Memorial Day is always observed on May 15 and specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.

In 2020, 295 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. According to the FBI, 46 officers died as a result of felonious acts, and 47 died in accidents. These and other statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website. Based on data analyzed by the National Law
Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 90 percent of the remaining 2020 deaths were attributable to COVID-19.

We are grateful that none of the reported fatalities occurred here in the Southern District of
Illinois. We still remember and honor the life of Illinois State Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, who was shot and killed on Aug. 23, 2019, while attempting to execute a search warrant in East St. Louis.
He was just 33 years old.

In 2021, the names of 394 officers killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. The list includes the 295 officers who were killed during 2020, plus 99 officers who died in previous years but whose stories of sacrifice were only recently discovered. The names of all 394 fallen officers will be read on Thursday, May 13, 2021, during a virtual candlelight vigil, which will be livestreamed to the public at 8:00 p.m. EDT at www.youtube.com/user/TheNLEOMF.

A complete schedule of virtual Police Week events is listed on NLEOMF’s Police Week Flyer.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, all in-person Police Week events originally scheduled for May have been rescheduled to Oct. 13-17, 2021. To learn more about National Police Week in-person events scheduled for October, including an in-person candlelight vigil scheduled for Oct. 14, 2021, please visit www.policeweek.org.
###

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A St. Louis man pled guilty and was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.

According to court documents, Orlando Goss, 46, was a supplier of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine for distributors in the East St. Louis area. Goss was charged with knowingly participating in the conspiracy and with distributing fentanyl disguised as heroin.

Goss’s three co-defendants had already been sentenced. Ricardo Overton, 44, formerly of Cahokia, Illinois, was sentenced in February 2020 to 100 months in prison. Jodi Prater, 38, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, was sentenced last July to 24 months in prison. The third co-defendant, Amy Ring, 36, of
Belleville, Illinois, was sentenced last October to a prison term of 41 months.

When his prison term is finished, Goss will serve four years on supervised release.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service investigated this case. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
OCDETF identifies,  disrupts,  and  dismantles  the  highest-level  drug  traffickers,  money  launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Fischer.

BENTON, Ill. – Elvin Lugo-Cales, 47, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison and 3 years of court supervision after his release. In January, Lugo-Cales pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, use of a false passport, and aggravated identity theft.
On March 2, 2020, Lugo-Cales and his co-defendant, Johnny Collado, flew from New York to St. Louis for the sole purpose of defrauding banks using stolen identities. They were paid members of a criminal organization based in New York. Collado was the driver and coordinated the scheme through text messages with a co-conspirator in New York. Lugo-Cales was known in the scheme as a “soldier”
– a person willing to travel to a new city, walk into banks, and conduct fraudulent transactions face- to-face with bank tellers using fake IDs and counterfeit checks.

On March 5, 2020, Collado drove Lugo-Cales in a rental car to a US Bank location in Edwardsville, Illinois. Lugo-Cales went inside the bank while Collado waited in the car. Lugo-Cales walked up to a bank teller and presented a counterfeit check in the amount of $3,650.00 made payable to an identity theft victim from Colorado. The check had a forged endorsement and the victim’s social security number written on the back. Lugo-Cales also presented a false U.S. passport card bearing
Lugo-Cales’ photograph and the name of the victim. He then asked the bank teller to cash the check.

The bank teller recalled an internal e-mail she had received warning branches about a man traveling around  the  St.  Louis  area  attempting  to  cash  counterfeit  checks.  Seeing  that  Lugo-Cales  fit  the description of the suspect, she notified her bank manager and stalled the transaction while the bank manager called the police.

Lugo-Cales grew nervous and demanded the bank teller return his check and passport card. When the teller refused, he left the bank and drove away with Collado, leaving behind the counterfeit check and passport card with his picture on it. The two men were pulled over and arrested nearby.

Lugo-Cales had over $1,500 cash in his pocket at the time of his arrest. Collado had numerous items concealed near his crotch, including over $25,000 in cash, multiple counterfeit IDs, counterfeit credit cards, and 19 blank counterfeit checks.

During the sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Staci M. Yandle remarked that identity theft is a “very serious offense” that “destroys people’s lives.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – This morning, Timothy P. Mayer, 41, of Waterloo, Illinois, appeared in federal court in East St. Louis and pled guilty to defrauding his former employer, Jung Truck
Service (“Jung Truck”) of Mascoutah, Illinois, 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.

Beginning in July 2019, Mayer 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. Mayer’s scheme lasted until he was caught in May 2020.

Mayer will be sentenced on August 11, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. The mail fraud charge to which Mayer pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to 3 years. Mayer will also be ordered to pay full restitution to Jung Truck.

The case was investigated by agents from FBI-Springfield. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A St. Clair County man is in federal custody today on a trio of crimes involving sex with an underage girl in the Philippines. Joseph Albert Fuchs, III, 53, of Cahokia, Illinois, is accused of knowingly traveling from his home in St. Clair County to the Philippines in
February 2018 for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act with a 14-year old girl.
The three-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury earlier this month and charges that
Fuchs engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the victim in the Philippines while knowing that she was under 16 years old. The indictment further alleges that Fuchs enticed the girl to have sex with him through a series of Facebook chats from Nov. 2, 2017, to July 17, 2019, as well as by sending her more than $1,000 in PayPal and Xoom payments during that time.

On Thursday, Fuchs appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert C. Sison and entered a not guilty plea. He is being held in custody pending a detention hearing on Monday at 10:00 a.m.
Trial is currently scheduled to begin on June 15.

If convicted of the enticement charge, Fuchs faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison. The other  two  charges  carry  maximum  prison  terms  of  30  years  each.  All  three  charges  are  also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

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

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations-Springfield. Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Alexandria Burns and Nathan D. Stump are prosecuting the case.

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. – An East St. Louis man will be spending over a decade behind bars for stealing someone’s marijuana at gunpoint. Tyran Jordan, 21, has been sentenced to 157 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. Jordan pled guilty to the charges back in
January.
According to court documents, the crimes occurred on Sept. 30, 2019, when Jordan arranged to sell a gun to the victim in exchange for marijuana. The deal was supposed to occur in East St. Louis. When the victim arrived at the designated meeting place, Jordan and two other men brandished their guns and took the victim’s marijuana and cash by force. As the victim was fleeing the scene, Jordan and the other men fired their weapons, striking the victim “numerous times.”

The court record identifies Jordan’s accomplices as “two unknown individuals.”

In handing down the sentence, United States District Judge Staci M. Yandle noted that the defendant had not demonstrated any remorse for what he did to the victim. She also explained that a significant prison sentence was necessary to protect the public and deter Jordan from committing further crimes.

As part of his sentence, Jordan 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 the East St. Louis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,  Firearms  &  Explosives.  The  case  was  prosecuted  by  Assistant  United  States 
Attorney
Alexandria Burns.

Sparta, Ill. – Kory R. Schulein (37), of Sparta, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to knowingly receiving child pornography over the internet. A federal grand jury returned the single-count indictment against Schulein last October.
Schulein first came to the attention of law enforcement in 2018 during an FBI investigation of child pornography on the dark web. Agents were able to track his IP address and executed a federal search warrant at his home on Oct. 1, 2019.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children confirmed the identities of children depicted in over 2,500 images and 100 videos found on Schulein’s laptop computer and two external hard drives. According to court documents, Schulein downloaded the child pornography from 2016 to
2019.

At the conclusion of today’s plea hearing, Schulein was remanded into federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which is set for Aug. 11, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. at the federal courthouse in East
St. Louis. He faces 5-20 years in prison on the charge. His sentence will be determined by United
States District Judge Stephen P. McGlynn after consideration of the federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation was conducted by FBI-Springfield, with assistance from the United States Marshals
Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan D. Stump and Trial Attorneys Jessica
Urban and Alicia Bove with the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

O’Fallon, Ill. – Jason Spengler (45), of O’Fallon, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement on a federal loan application. According to court documents, Spengler committed the  felony  offense  last  year  when  he  filed  for  assistance  from  the  Paycheck 
Protection  Program (“PPP”) without disclosing that his business, Spengler Plumbing Company, was in bankruptcy.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the federal PPP loan  program.  Administered  by  the  Small  Business  Administration  (SBA),  the  program  provided loans to help qualifying businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

Debtors in bankruptcy were not eligible for PPP loans. The first question on the loan application asked,  “Is  the  Applicant  ...  presently  involved  in  any  bankruptcy?”  Above  this  question,  the application explained that the loan would not be approved if the applicant answered
“Yes.”

When Spengler applied for a PPP loan last year, Spengler Plumbing was in bankruptcy. But Spengler checked “No” on the application, falsely certifying to the lender and the SBA that Spengler
Plumbing was not in bankruptcy. Because of this false statement, Spengler Plumbing was awarded a
$487,095 PPP loan in April 2020.

As a debtor in bankruptcy, Spengler Plumbing was also required by law to obtain prior authorization from the bankruptcy court before incurring any new unsecured debt. But Spengler applied for the government loan without notifying the bankruptcy judge, thereby evading the safeguards put in place by both the SBA and the bankruptcy court.

“Together with U.S. Attorney Steve Weinhoeft and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue fraud and abuse in bankruptcy cases,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, U.S. Trustee for Region
10. The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in South Bend, Indiana, and Peoria, Illinois.

Sentencing is set for August 18, 2021, at the federal courthouse in East. St. Louis. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case was referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution by the U.S. Trustee for Region
10, in collaboration with the Southern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group.
The investigation was conducted by the Small Business Administration – Office of the  Inspector
General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Reed.

CARBONDALE,  Ill.  –  A  mathematics  professor  and  researcher  at  Southern  Illinois 
University  – Carbondale (SIUC) is  under federal indictment for grant fraud. Mingqing  Xiao,  59,  of  Makanda, Illinois,  is  accused  of  fraudulently  obtaining  $151,099  in  federal  grant  money  from  the  National Science  Foundation  (NSF)  by  concealing  support  he  was  receiving  from  an  arm  of  the  Chinese government and a Chinese public university. Xiao is charged with two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement.
The prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing China Initiative. Led by the
Department’s National Security Division (NSD), the China Initiative is an effort to safeguard
American intellectual property and research programs and counter the multi-faceted threat posed by the PRC government to U.S. national security.

While  the  Chinese  government  maintains  ambitious  strategic  goals  to  dominate  certain  global economic sectors, its ability to achieve those goals is hampered by its lack of domestic innovation. Comments made by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a Communist Party gathering in March
2019 underscore this dilemma: “Our capacity for innovation is not strong and our weakness in terms of core technologies for key fields remains a salient problem.”¹  Given this identified weakness, China resorts to various forms of economic aggression to achieve its strategic goals, including hacking, theft, espionage, and recruiting “non-traditional collectors” in academia to acquire U.S. technologies and intellectual property. The China Initiative works with academia and private industry to combat the PRC government’s diverse counterintelligence threats.

“Again,  an  American  professor  stands  accused  of  enabling  the  Chinese  government’s  efforts  to corruptly benefit from U.S. research funding by lying about his obligations to, and support from, an arm of the Chinese government and a Chinese public university,” said John C.
Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “Honesty and transparency about funding sources lie at the heart of the scientific research enterprise. They enable U.S. agencies to distribute scarce grants for scientific  research  fairly  and  equitably.  And  they  allow  other  researchers  to  evaluate  potential conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment. When researchers fall short of fulfilling these core academic  values  in  ways  that  violate  the  law,  the  Department  stands  ready  to  investigate  and prosecute.”
1
Source: http://www.china.org.cn/china/NPC_CPPCC_2019/2019-03/16/content_74578930.htm

“We know that China exploits American universities to further the aims of the Chinese Communist
Party,”  said  U.S.  Attorney  Steven  D.  Weinhoeft.  “That’s  one  reason  why  the  National 
Science Foundation requires applicants to disclose all sources of support, including foreign ties, as a condition to receive federal grant funding. Prosecutions like this one play a critical role, not just in protecting American  investments  in  academic  research  from  foreign  exploitation,  but  also  in  combating  the growing threat that China poses to our national security.”
“The  FBI  takes  seriously  its  commitment  to  work  with  our  partners  in  academia  to  protect  U.S. research  funded  grants,”  said  Sean  M.  Cox,  FBI-Springfield’s  Special  Agent  in  Charge.  “This investigation, like so many others, should serve as a reminder that failure to be truthful and transparent on an application for U.S. funded grants is a violation of the law. In this case the applicant allegedly failed to disclose his affiliation with China. Individuals who fail to disclose their affiliation with any foreign nation will be held accountable.”

According  to  the  indictment,  Xiao  has  worked  in  SIUC’s  mathematics  department  since 
2000, focusing his research on partial differential equations, control theory, optimization theory, dynamical systems, and computational science. In that position, Xiao (who is an American citizen) allegedly applied for and received NSF grant funds for a project set to run from 2019 to 2022 without informing NSF about another, overlapping grant he had already received from the Natural
Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China. Xiao also allegedly failed to inform NSF that he was on the payroll of  Shenzhen  University,  a  public  university  in  Guangdong  Province,  and  that  he  had  already committed to teaching and conducting research at Shenzhen University from
2018 to 2023.

The indictment further alleges that in March 2019, while his NSF grant proposal was still pending, Xiao submitted another grant proposal to the Natural Science Foundation of China. According to the indictment, Xiao allegedly applied for the funds as an employee of Shenzhen University and did not disclose the new Chinese proposal to NSF. Xiao is charged with falsely certifying to SIUC that his
NSF grant proposal was true, complete, and accurate.

Before  awarding  the  grant,  NSF  questioned  Xiao  about  any  current  or  pending  funding  from “worldwide sources,” including specifically whether he held any position outside the United
States or had obtained funding from any non-US funding sources. The indictment accuses Xiao of falsely reporting to NSF that he had nothing else to disclose.

The  defendant’s  initial  court  appearance  has  not  yet  been  scheduled.  If  convicted,  Xiao  faces  a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and 5 years in prison for making a false statement. All three charges are also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing
Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI-Springfield,  the  IRS,  and  the  Department  of  Homeland  Security  are  investigating  the  case. Assistant  U.S.  Attorney  Peter  T.  Reed  is  prosecuting  the  case,  with  assistance  from  NSD’s Counterintelligence & Export Section.

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

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A woman who abused her employment with an in-home health care company and stole the identities of her elderly clients is heading to prison. Erica S. Rose, 31, of East Saint
Louis, Illinois, was sentenced today to one year and one day in federal prison and two years of court supervision after her release. Rose pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last November.
In 2018, Rose worked for a company called CareLink and gained access to the homes of her elderly victims as their hired caretaker. While inside, she stole social security numbers and other identifying information  and  passed  the  stolen  information  along  to  her  co-defendant,  Ashley  McKinney. McKinney  allegedly  used  victims’  funds  and  identities  to  withdraw  money  from  ATMs,  deposit fraudulent checks, and even purchase a car online for over $28,000.

There is an outstanding warrant for McKinney’s arrest in this case.

As part of her sentence, Rose was ordered to pay $9,864.71 in restitution.

The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Edwardsville Police Department, Belleville
Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.

Note: A full copy of the indictment can be viewed 

WASHINGTON – Today, a federal grand jury in Carbondale, Ill. returned an indictment charging a mathematics professor and researcher at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (SIUC) with two counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement.

According to court documents, Mingqing Xiao, 59, of Makanda, Illinois, fraudulently obtained $151,099 in federal grant money from the National Science Foundation (NSF) by concealing support he was receiving from the Chinese government and a Chinese university.

“Again, an American professor stands accused of enabling the Chinese government’s efforts to corruptly benefit from U.S. research funding by lying about his obligations to, and support from, an arm of the Chinese government and a Chinese public university,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD). “Honesty  and transparency about funding sources lie at the heart of the scientific research enterprise. They enable U.S. agencies to distribute scarce grants for scientific research fairly and equitably. And they allow other researchers to evaluate potential conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment.  When researchers fall short of fulfilling these core academic values in ways that violate the law, the Department stand ready to investigate and prosecute.” 

“Fraudulently obtaining U.S. taxpayer funding is a slap in the face to the vast majority of university researchers who do the right thing and abide by the rules,” said Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “To those individuals who choose to conceal affiliations with foreign universities or foreign governments while applying for U.S. taxpayer-funded grants, the message should be clear: the FBI and its partners are aggressively investigating allegations of grant fraud.”

“The FBI takes seriously its commitment to work with our partners in academia to protect U.S. research funded grants,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean M. Cox of the FBI’s Springfield Field Office. “This investigation, like so many others, should serve as a reminder that failure to be truthful and transparent on an application for U.S. funded grants is a violation of the law. In this case the applicant allegedly failed to disclose his affiliation with China. Individuals who fail to disclose their affiliation with any foreign nation will be held accountable.”

“The charges in this case are very serious,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “University grant fraud allows China to co-opt U.S. research and development at a fraction of the cost. Prosecutions like this one play an important role, not just in protecting American investments in academic research from foreign exploitation, but also in combating the growing threat that China poses to our national security. We will continue to work with our partners at NSD and the FBI on these important cases.”

According to the indictment, Xiao has worked in SIUC’s mathematics department since 2000, focusing his research on partial differential equations, control theory, optimization theory, dynamical systems, and computational science. In that position, Xiao allegedly applied for and received NSF grant funds for a project set to run from 2019 to 2022 without informing NSF about another, overlapping grant he had already received from the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China. Xiao also allegedly failed to inform NSF that he was on the payroll of Shenzhen University, a public university in Guangdong Province, and that he had already committed to teaching and conducting research at Shenzhen University from 2018 to 2023.

The indictment further alleges that in March 2019, while his NSF grant proposal was still pending, Xiao submitted another grant proposal to the Natural Science Foundation of China. According to the indictment, Xiao allegedly applied for the funds as an employee of Shenzhen University and did not disclose the new Chinese proposal to NSF. Xiao is charged with falsely certifying to SIUC that his NSF grant proposal was true, complete, and accurate.

Before awarding the grant, NSF questioned Xiao about any current or pending funding from “worldwide sources,” including specifically whether he held any position outside of the United States or had obtained funding from non-U.S. funding sources. The indictment accuses Xiao of falsely reporting to NSF that he had nothing else to disclose.

If convicted, Xiao faces up to 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and up to five years in prison for making a false statement. All three charges are also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000. 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 FBI, the IRS, and the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter T. Reed is prosecuting the case, with assistance from NSD’s Counterintelligence & Export Section.

The prosecution is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing China Initiative. Led by the Department’s National Security Division, the China Initiative is a broad, multi-faceted effort to counter Chinese national security threats and safeguard American intellectual property.

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

Cahokia, Ill. – Isaac Sanders, age 40, of Cahokia, Illinois, has been sentenced to serve 12 months and a day in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Sanders previously pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2020.
Sanders  and  his  co-conspirator,  Tamecia  Buckley,  used  the  stolen  identities  and  social security numbers of real people to open utility accounts for electric and gas services at Sanders’ properties. The victims did not live there and did not consent to the scheme. The bills all came to
Sanders’ address, so the victims had no way of knowing the financial damage being wrought in their names. After bills went unpaid, and services were shut down again, Sanders would simply pay Buckley to open a new account using a different stolen identity.

All told, Sanders stole, used, and discarded the identities of six different people from 2014 to
2017. On one occasion, Sanders called the utility company pretending to be the son of one victim and falsely claimed the victim was in the hospital.

In addition to his term of imprisonment, Sanders was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and full restitution in the amount of $5,213.83. His sentence also includes a three-year term of supervised release. For her roles in this and other fraud-and-identity-theft schemes, Buckley was prosecuted separately and received a 75-month prison sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
 

Every April, the Department of Justice leads communities across the Nation in their annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year is the event’s 40th anniversary.
Throughout the week, we renew our commitment to serving all victims of crime, acknowledge significant achievements in victim services and allied professions, and remember crime victims and survivors. This year’s theme — Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities. — emphasizes the importance of leveraging community support to help victims of crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois prioritizes victim cases, especially violent crimes, hate crimes, crimes against the elderly, and crimes against children.
Seeking justice for victims involves  extensive  coordination,  not  only  with  our outstanding  partners  in  law  enforcement,  but  also with community organizations, care providers, social services, and victim advocates.

“This week we honor all who work tirelessly and compassionately to care for the needs of crime victims,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Their jobs have been especially vital during the pandemic, as victims have struggled to connect with family, friends, and other support systems. We also recognize the bravery and sacrifice of all those who serve honorably in law enforcement, who put themselves at risk every day to prevent others from being victimized. The work they do has never been more difficult, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.”

Organizations, programs, and individuals across the nation who have provided outstanding service in support of crime victims will be honored at the 2021 National Crime Victim’s Service Awards
Ceremony, which will be held virtually on April 23, 2021, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. eastern time. To register for the ceremony, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xssdb. Visitors to the website can also access the 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide, which provides free event planning ideas, graphics, videos, and more information for participating organizations.

Belleville,  Ill.  –  Earlier  today,  Joseph  L.  Hughes,  a/k/a  “Joe  King,”  29,  of  St. 
Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 149 months in prison for enticing a 14-year old girl to engage in sex and traveling across state lines to have sex with her. Hughes committed the offenses in late
2018 and pled guilty to the three-count federal indictment in October 2020.
According  to  court  filings,  Hughes  and  the  minor  victim  used  Facebook  Messenger  to communicate. Hughes later traveled from St. Louis to the girl’s home in Belleville, Illinois, to have sex with her on Nov. 24, 2018, and Dec. 8, 2018. As part of his guilty plea, Hughes admitted that the victim told him her age right away, and that he knew what he did was against the law.

Hughes’s sentence includes a five-year term of supervised release and a $300 fine.

The  case  was  investigated  by  the  FBI,  the  Belleville  Police  Department,  the  St.  Clair
County Sheriff’s Department, and the St. Louis County Police Department, with assistance from the 
St.  Clair  County  States  Attorney’s  Office.  Assistant  United  States  Attorney  Angela  Scott prosecuted the case.

Patrons  of  two  Amtrak  stations  in  the  Southern  District  of  Illinois  may  be  eligible  for compensation as part of a recent Justice Department settlement. On January 29, federal authorities announced that a $2.25 million fund had been established to compensate travelers with a mobility disability who were harmed physically or emotionally because of accessibility issues at 78
Amtrak stations nationwide between 2013 and 2020. Included in the settlement were Amtrak stations in Centralia and Effingham, Illinois. According to Justice Department officials, those stations did not meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The stations in Centralia and Effingham were on a long list of stations where passenger platforms were not readily accessible to individuals with disabilities. Although the specific issues were not disclosed, examples include steep slopes, no detectable warnings at the platform edges, and ground surfaces that were not stable, firm, and slip resistant. The Effingham station was also cited for not having accessible bathrooms. Some of the violations at other stations covered in the settlement  include  inaccessible  parking,  lack  of  directional  signs,  high  ticket  counters,  and deteriorated platforms.

In total, nine Amtrak stations in Illinois were cited by the Justice Department as non-ADA compliant, more than  any other state.  Aside from the stations in Centralia and Effingham, the others  were  located  in  Gilman,  Homewood,  Mattoon,  Plano,  Princeton,  Rantoul,  and  Summit.
Three Missouri stations were also included in the settlement: Kirkwood, La Plata, and Poplar Bluff.

To be eligible for monetary compensation, travelers must have a mobility disability and must have been harmed due to inaccessibility issues at one or more of the affected stations from July 23, 2013 to December 2, 2020. All claims must be submitted no later than May 29, 2021. Other  restrictions  may  apply.  Questions  about  the  claims  process  should  be  directed  to  the settlement administrator by any of the following methods:

•    Visit AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com
•    Email your name, address, and phone number to info@AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com
•    Call the Fund Administrator at (888) 334-6165 or TTY: (866) 411-6976.
Help is available for those who are unable to complete the claim form due to a disability.

As  part  of  the  settlement  agreement,  Amtrak  has  committed  to  make  its  intercity  rail stations accessible, prioritizing stations with the most significant barriers to access. Over the next 10 years, Amtrak will design at least 135 stations to be accessible, complete construction at
90 of those stations, and have at least 45 more under construction. Amtrak will also train staff on
ADA requirements and implement an agreed-upon process for accepting and handling ADA complaints. In demonstrating its commitment, Amtrak has already established an Office of the Vice President of
Stations, Properties & Accessibility to coordinate its compliance with the ADA.
The settlement agreement with Amtrak was negotiated as part of a lawsuit filed by the Disability 
Rights  Section  of  the  Justice  Department’s  Civil  Rights  Division.  A  copy  of  the complaint can be found by visiting www.ada.gov/amtrak_comp.html. The settlement agreement is also available online at AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com. For more information on the Civil Rights
Division, visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the toll-free
ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov.

East St. Louis, Ill. – Lagardo Wright, 20, and Aijeigh McShan, 19, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, and a third man, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 20, of Belleville, Illinois, have been charged in a six- count  federal  indictment  with  bank  fraud  and  conspiracy  to  commit  bank  fraud.  Wright  and
McShan  were  arraigned  earlier  today  following  their  arrest  in  California  last  month. 
Sheard’s arraignment was previously held on February 25, 2021.
According  to  the  indictment,  Wright,  McShan,  and  Sheard  obtained  bank  account information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers, by soliciting individuals on social media and elsewhere to provide their personal banking information in exchange for the promise of money. Wright allegedly accessed the individuals’ bank accounts to check their account balances and withdrawal limits. The indictment alleges that Wright, McShan, and Sheard, would then deposit counterfeit checks into the individuals’ accounts and quickly withdraw funds before the banks could determine the checks were counterfeit.

Wright and McShan are scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Sheard’s trial is set for
July 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Both trials will be held at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis before United States District Judge David W. Dugan. If convicted, each count of the indictment carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

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

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

A man who repeatedly stole mail from mailboxes in Southern Illinois is heading to prison. Seth W.
Sorensen, 45, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and two years of court supervision after his release. Last December, Sorensen pled guilty in federal court to one count of mail theft and two counts of possession of stolen mail.
The federal charges stemmed from three separate incidents that occurred over a four-day stretch in
February 2019. On Feb. 23, 2019, a person in Okawville, Illinois watched as Sorensen drove mailbox to mailbox stealing mail from houses on M&M Lane and R&R Drive. The person immediately reported the incident to the Okawville Police Department, who quickly identified Sorensen as the primary suspect and discovered that he had an active warrant for burglary out of Troy, Illinois.

On Feb. 24, 2019, Okawville police went to an apartment where Sorensen was staying and arrested him on the warrant. During the arrest, officers found a trash bag in Sorensen’s possession that contained stolen mail belonging to 26 different victims at 19 different residences in Southern
Illinois. Sorensen spent the remainder of February 24 and February 25 in the Madison County Jail.

On Feb. 26, 2019, Sorensen was released from jail. He walked from the jail to an apartment complex on South Morrison Avenue in Collinsville, Illinois, where a resident noticed him peeking into mailboxes. The resident eventually confronted Sorensen and grabbed a pile of stolen mail from his hands. The mail was addressed to multiple people in different units within the complex. At least one of the letters was addressed to the resident herself. After the confrontation, Sorensen fled the area on foot. The resident called the Collinsville Police Department.

A  short  time  later,  Collinsville  police  stopped  Sorensen  as  he  was  walking.  Sorensen identified himself by showing them the discharge paperwork he had received from the Madison County
Jail earlier that morning. Sorensen initially denied looking through any mailboxes at the apartment  complex  or  having  any  stolen  mail  in  his  possession,  but  the  officers  noticed  mail hanging  out  of  his  pocket  addressed  to  individuals  on  South  Chestnut  Street  –  the  very  street Sorensen was  walking down when he  was stopped. When  asked  about the mail in his pocket, Sorensen said he found the mail in the street and intended to return it but did not know where the individuals  lived.  Collinsville  police  reminded  Sorensen  that  letters  have  addresses  on  them.
Sorensen was arrested that evening after a short investigation.

This case was investigated by the Okawville Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.

A Camden County, Missouri couple are facing bankruptcy fraud and structuring charges arising out of a scheme to defraud the federal bankruptcy court for the Southern District of Illinois. Kevin  and 
Catharine  Kahrig  are  named  in  a  four-count  indictment  that  accuses  the  pair  of bankruptcy fraud and structuring. The indictment also charges Kevin Kahrig, age 47, with making a long list of false statements and omissions to the bankruptcy court.
According to the indictment, from 2016-2018, the Kahrigs launched a scheme to conceal Kevin’s assets from his creditors and fraudulently transfer at least $550,000 in assets to his wife, Catharine, age 34. Kevin and Catharine allegedly deposited over $160,000 in cash and checks belonging to Kevin into Catharine’s bank account. Catharine allegedly used the commingled funds in her account to purchase property and selectively pay Kevin’s expenses, while Kevin emptied and closed his own bank accounts, cashing over $200,000 in checks rather than depositing them with the bank. The Kahrigs also allegedly structured over $100,000 in deposits in an attempt to evade bank reporting requirements.

The indictment further alleges that Kevin instructed his business customers to make out payments to
Catharine and other family members rather than to himself or his business. The couple is  also  accused  of  selling  Kevin’s  boat  and  using  the  $395,000  check  to  pay  off  Catharine’s mortgage rather than pay Kevin’s debts.

Kevin Kahrig filed for bankruptcy in May 2018. The indictment charges him with making numerous  false  statements  and  omissions  in  his  bankruptcy  filings  and  subsequent  statements under oath to conceal the scheme to defraud.

“Abuse  of  the  bankruptcy  system  by  concealing  assets  for  personal  gain  threatens  the integrity of the bankruptcy system,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Southern
Illinois, Central Illinois and Indiana (Region 10). “I am gratified by the actions taken by United
States Attorney Wei  hoeft and our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who engage in fraudulent conduct.”

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to
$250,000. The Kahrigs’ initial appearances and arraignments were held earlier today, and both defendants entered a plea of not guilty. Trial is set for May 19, 2021, before United States
District Judge Stephen P. McGlynn.

An  indictment  is  merely  a  formal  charge  against  a  defendant.  Under  the  law,  the defendants are 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 FBI, in collaboration with the Southern District of Illinois
Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by the U.S. Trustee for Region 10, after referral by the
U.S. Trustee. The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Peoria, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United
States Attorney Peter T. Reed.

Brittany Freeman, 27, of Johnston City, Illinois (Williamson County), was sentenced this week to three years’ probation and a $100 fine and was ordered to pay $704.10 in restitution to her victims. Freeman had earlier pled guilty to theft of mail by a postal service employee.
In February and March, 2020, while working as a mail carrier, Freeman stole over $700 worth of rebate checks sent by Menard’s to customers along her routes. Surveillance cameras at a nearby
Menard’s store captured Freeman using the rebate checks for herself soon after stealing them.

“Any  tampering  with  the  U.S.  mail  system  is  taken  seriously,  particularly  when  postal service employees abuse their position of trust,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said.

The  case  was  investigated  by  the  United  States  Postal  Service,  Office  of  the  Inspector
General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Reed.

A federal grand jury in East St. Louis, Illinois, has returned a 21-count indictment charging
Melissa D. Wasylak, 48, of East Alton, with stealing Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) funds that were intended for her disabled daughter. The indictment also charges Wasylak with wire fraud and making false statements on forms submitted to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”).
The SSA administers the SSI program, which provides a minimum level of income to aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited resources. For disabled children, SSI benefits are paid to a representative payee, who is responsible for handling the funds and reporting to the SSA. Federal law requires that all SSI funds must be used for the benefit of the disabled child.

Wasylak applied for her disabled daughter to receive SSI benefits and was appointed as her daughter’s representative payee. According to the indictment, 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. The indictment charges that Wasylak did not use those funds for her daughter’s expenses, but instead used the SSI money to pay her own personal expenses. This allegedly continued until the situation was reported to the SSA in May of 2019.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The maximum punishment for theft of government funds is 10 years’ imprisonment. Making a false statement on a Social Security form carries a five-year statutory maximum term of imprisonment. Each of the charges comes with a possible fine of up to $250,000, and Wasylak could also be ordered to pay 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.

Wasylak is scheduled to be arraigned by United States Magistrate Judge Gilbert C. Sison on Monday, April 5, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis.

The investigation was conducted by the SSA – Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Verseman.