Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a man from Colombia to nine years in prison for possessing child pornography.

Fabio Murillo Sanchez, 51, pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He admitted that in 2023, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detective downloaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from an IP address in St. Louis via the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network. Investigators traced the IP address to Sanchez’ home. When they interviewed Sanchez, he admitted possessing CSAM and turned over three computer devices. He also said he’d been looking at CSAM since 2009.

The FBI found 686 videos and 1,392 images containing CSAM and over 19,000 images of "child erotica and nude child modeling," his plea agreement says.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – Three former residents of the St. Louis area pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted fraudulently obtaining $229,000 in loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brianna L. Bell-Maple, 24, Jemyla A. Bell, 39, and Leiah A. Vaughn, 23, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Each defendant admitted participating in a scheme to fraudulently apply for 12 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from March 2021 to August 2021. Each defendant applied for four loans. The loan applications were nearly identical and sought the maximum loan of $20,833 for a sole proprietorship. Each application was filed in the name of a nonexistent women’s clothing store, and falsely claimed the store earned $121,003 in 2019. Bell-Maple, Bell and Vaughn also submitted falsified tax forms.

Eleven of the loan applications were approved, yielding a total of $229,163.

PPP loans were intended to aid small businesses in paying and retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bell-Maple used PPP loan money to lease a new apartment in April of 2021. Bell-Maple and Vaughn moved in. The three spent more loan proceeds on personal expenditures such as shopping, dining, cash withdrawals, and electronic transfers to friends and family. On May 5, 2021, Vaughn and Bell-Maple spent $5,200 on a purebred puppy. Two days later, Bell-Maple and Bell each purchased a vehicle from the same car dealership.

Bell-Maple, Bell, and Vaughn submitted 11 applications for loan forgiveness on Aug. 9, 2021, falsely claiming that they spent the PPP money on payroll. The loan forgiveness applications were approved based on their false claims.

The three, who now live in Fresno, Calif., are scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Each of the defendants has agreed to a money judgment equal to the total value of fraudulently obtained PPP loans.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County has pleaded guilty to two gun charges and admitted possessing fentanyl.

James C. Taylor, 32, of Velda City, Missouri, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor admitted that on Jan. 16, 2019, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responding to a “shots fired’ call found a stolen .40-caliber HS Produkt XD-40 pistol that Taylor had hidden in a couch, a digital scale and two bags of fentanyl in the room where Taylor had been. Witnesses told officers that Taylor was cheated out of $300 in a drug deal and began demanding money from the cousin of the purported dealer. Taylor received $600 but wanted more and held the cousin captive while he tried to get another person to bring more money, witnesses reported. Taylor is disputing the witnesses’ accounts but acknowledges the U.S. Attorney’s office could prove the kidnapping incident by at least a preponderance of the evidence.

Taylor also admitted that on Nov. 7, 2020, St. Louis police received calls about a man in a gold Buick LeSabre on Enright Avenue pointing an AR-style firearm at people. Officers arrived and found Taylor in the driver’s seat. When told to exit the car and put his hands on the vehicle, Taylor dropped his phone and ran. He was arrested after a short pursuit. Officers saw a black AM-15 pistol with a large-capacity magazine in plain view on the back floor of the LeSabre and found a baggy containing marijuana.

Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. As part of the plea, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Taylor’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a prison sentence of 12 years.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender who was caught with child sexual abuse material to 14 years in prison.

Charles R. Hamilton, 66, of Chesterfield, had 1,288 image files and 185 video files containing child sexual abuse material on his phone. In May of 2023, law enforcement officers in Alabama identified a Kik social media account that was being used to distribute child sexual abuse material. They traced the account to Hamilton, a convicted sex offender. When investigators interviewed Hamilton on May 25, 2023, he consented to a search of his phone. Investigators later found images of child pornography matching those distributed via the Kik account. A forensic examination found that Defendant had used Kik, Instagram and Telegram accounts to receive and transmit child pornography.

Hamilton pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession of child pornography.

The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Federal agents on Monday arrested a Mexican national accused of illegal sexual activity with a minor.

Giovanni Falcon, 40, of University City, was indicted Feb. 26, 2025, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with two felonies: transfer of obscene material to a minor and coercion and enticement of a minor. The indictment says that between July 26, 2024, and August 12, 2024, Falcon used the internet to expose his genitals to a minor. It also accuses him of coercing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity between Jan. 1, 2024, and August 12, 2024.

Falcon appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty.

A motion seeking to have Falcon detained until trial says he is not in the country legally and presents a flight risk if released.

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

The coercion charge is punishable by not less than 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The transfer of obscene material charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Ann Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man pleaded guilty Friday and admitted hosting dogfights in his home and training dogs to fight.

Terrell Williams, 52, admitted hosting dog fights in a wooden “box” setup in the basement of his Riverview, Missouri, home on two occasions in July and August of 2021. Williams also admitted breeding and owning multiple bull terriers or terrier mixes between Sept. 5, 2020, and May 1, 2022, that were used for fights. On June 22, 2022, FBI agents conducted a court-approved search of Williams’ home and seized eight bull terrier mixes and three Yorkshire terriers, as well as equipment used to train and condition dogs, including weighted vests, body-enhancing chemicals and a canine treadmill. Multiple dogs appeared to be aggressive towards humans and other dogs, anxious or fearful. Dogs also bore scars consistent with dog bites or dog fighting. 
 

Williams pleaded guilty to a dogfighting charge, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.

As part of his plea, Williams agreed to give up the seized dogs and the training equipment.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have been accused of embezzling more than $1.4 million from the restaurant that employed them for years.

Matthew Braasch and Mark Erney were each indicted on Feb. 20, 2025, with two counts of wire fraud. Erney turned himself in Friday and pleaded not guilty. Braasch did the same on February 25.

The indictment says both men were high-level employees of a restaurant in Grantwood Village, in St. Louis County, Missouri, and told company managers that they would only use company credit cards for necessary business expenses. They instead used them for personal purchases, it says. Braasch spent $81,965 at Target, over $31,000 at the Vineyard Vines clothing store, $39,634 at Amazon and over $10,000 on local hotel stays for an acquaintance, the indictment says. He also spent $1,600 on a golf outing, $2,460 to store his RV, $5,425 on St. Louis Cardinals tickets and $2,681 for a vacation at Disney World, the indictment says.

Erney spent $155,696 on personal expenses from Amazon, more than $37,000 at other local bars and restaurants, $5,600 for two couches and $3,943 at a supplier of men’s health products.

The indictment says that due to the embezzlement, the restaurant lacked money to buy food and pay state taxes, including liquor taxes, and Braasch and Erney took out loans to cover the shortfall. Braasch also posed as a restaurant manager when state investigators tried to collect back taxes to keep the real managers in the dark, the indictment says.

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

The FBI, with assistance from the Missouri Department of Revenue, Criminal Tax Investigation Bureau, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who triggered a law enforcement standoff in St. Louis County to 40 months in prison.

Randy Wilkes, 43, pleaded guilty in November to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol on Oct. 5, 2022, by the U.S. Marshals Service and St. Louis County police.

Deputy U.S. Marshals and police were at Wilkes’ home in the 10400 block of Gardo Court in Bellefontaine Neighbors to arrest him for outstanding felony warrants stemming from two violent domestic assaults, according to a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin. Wilkes refused officers’ commands to come to the door and instead hid in the basement, triggering a standoff that lasted more than two hours, the memo says. After escorting multiple children out of the house, law enforcement officers tried to safely locate Wilkes, using a K-9, a robot equipped with a camera and multiple nonlethal pepper balls and gas canisters to avoid approaching Wilkes in a way that would risk their safety, the memo says. Wilkes was arrested after officers forced entry into an exterior basement door.

After his release from prison, Wilkes will be on supervised release for three years.

The U.S. Marshals Service and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have pleaded guilty to charges connected to the fatal robbery of a drug dealer in St. Louis, Missouri in 2022.

Ralph Ruffin, 21, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felony counts: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, resulting in death. Jamie Gore, 37, pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Both men admitted that on Dec. 10, 2022, Gore contacted the victim seeking drugs and asked him to come to Gore’s mother’s house in the 5900 block of Romaine Place. Gore had recently purchased drugs from the victim, and told the victim that he could obtain two guns in exchange for more drugs. Ruffin and an associate were waiting inside the home and began firing at the victim when Gore led him inside. The victim, who fired shots as well, was fatally shot in the throat. Ruffin and his associate then stole the victim’s gun, cash and fentanyl.

Gore admitted aiding Ruffin and others in “numerous” prior drug robberies. Ruffin would give some of the drugs to Gore and sell the rest.

Ruffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. Both sides have agreed to recommend 20 years in prison. Gore is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. He faces at least seven years in prison.

The Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoff Ogden is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A couple who ran a local non-profit were arrested Tuesday after having been accused in an indictment of stealing more than $7 million that was supposed to feed low-income Missouri children.

FBI special agents also seized a pickup truck, two vans and a minivan that were purchased with what the indictment calls fraudulently-obtained funds.

Diarra Williams, 30, and Nicholas Warford, 31, both of Edwardsville, Illinois, were indicted on Feb. 26 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. They are scheduled to enter a not guilty plea Tuesday afternoon.

The indictment says the couple defrauded Missouri’s At-Risk Afterschool Program and Summer Food Service Program, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meals are served by schools and non-profit organizations. Williams ran a non-profit called The Bailey Foundation, which fraudulently claimed it served more than 2.2 million meals, the indictment says. Williams and Warford then laundered the meal money through a company owned by Warford, Warford’s Classic Catering LLC, by creating fake invoices that showed meal purchases that were never made, the indictment says.

The indictment says the scheme lasted from March 2020 through July 2022. An April 2021 invoice falsely claimed that 208,456 meals were served, each of which included an eight-ounce serving of milk, the indictment says. Warford’s company bought no milk and paid less than $5,000 for food, it says.

The indictment says Williams and Warford used the money to buy a $1.4 million home in Edwardsville, a 2018 Lincoln Navigator, a 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel pickup, a 2011 Mercedes Benz Sprinter, a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and two 2021 Ram Promaster vans. They also spent $140,000 on extravagant vacations, $100,000 on furniture, home electronics and landscaping for their new home, more than $50,000 in school tuition payments and $460,000 on Warford's mother, the indictment says.

The couple falsely claimed in reports to the state that they’d spent the money on feeding children and told the IRS that their lavish spending represented legitimate business expenses of Warford’s company, the indictment says. They also tried to impede the investigation by producing phony invoices in response to a federal grand jury subpoena, the indictment says.

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of vehicles and the couple’s home.

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

“The alleged fraud is beyond despicable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The defendants allegedly stole millions in taxpayer dollars meant to feed low-income children in Missouri for their own use.”

“The defendants are accused of stealing money meant to feed low-income school-aged children and using the funds to live a lavish lifestyle. It’s hard to put into words how egregious these accusations are,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation St. Louis Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “But this arrest means their actions have been disrupted and they can now be held accountable.”

The FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and IRS – CI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man from Poplar Bluff, Missouri who tried to sell methamphetamine shortly after his release from prison to 12 more years in prison.

Lonnie C. Hamilton, 40, pleaded guilty in December to one felony count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His plea says that on May 16, 2023, a Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officer was approached by someone who said Hamilton tried to sell him an ounce of meth on the street. The officer found Hamilton, who removed a baggie containing meth from his pocket, admitted that the substance was methamphetamine and further admitted that he had recently been released from prison. Hamilton said an acquaintance gave him two ounces of methamphetamine to sell so that he could make some money, adding that he’d used some and intended to sell some. Hamilton was caught with about 48 grams, or roughly 1.7 ounces, of meth.

Because he has at least two prior felony convictions of either a crime of violence or a drug offense, Hamilton qualified as a “career offender.”

The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Overland, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material and engaging in sexual contact with a teen he’d met online.

James Donald Goings, 36, pleaded guilty to one felony count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted that investigators were alerted by CyberTipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Goings uploaded child sexual abuse material to a Google account. On July 21, 2022, St. Louis County Police Department officers conducted a court-approved search of Goings' house and recovered computer equipment. Investigators then learned that Goings traveled to Illinois and engaged in sexual contact with a 15-year-old that he met via Grindr and was in contact with another teen that he’d also met on Grindr, Goings’ plea says. The second victim told investigators that on multiple occasions he had video calls with Goings during which Goings directed him to perform specific sexual acts, the plea says.

Goings also possessed 2,500 images containing child sexual abuse material on a computer and 190 images in his Google account.

Going is scheduled to be sentenced in June. The charge is punishable by five to 20 years in prison. He has also agreed to forfeit cell phones, computer equipment and storage devices.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the Edwardsville (Illinois) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman is prosecuting the case.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who admitted recording his sexual activity with a child to 30 years in prison.

Steven Lee Brown, 33, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in December to one count of producing child pornography.

According to court documents, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Brown had sexually abused a 10-year-old child last May. The child was interviewed and confirmed the abuse. Officers immediately responded to Brown’s residence. During an interview, Brown admitted that he engaged in various sexual acts with the child. Brown further admitted that he used his cell phone to record some of the sexual activity. Officers seized Brown’s phone and discovered sexually explicit images of the minor child on the device. At his guilty plea hearing, Brown admitted that he used his cell phone to produce the sexually explicit material. After serving his 30-year sentence, Brown will be subject to lifetime supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday admitted possessing stolen identities and engaging in several schemes, including one in which he falsely obtained COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits.

Daryl Jones Jr., 45, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to three felonies: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.

Between June 22, 2020, and July 15, 2020, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania deposited $84,592 in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits on debit cards fraudulently issued in the identities of Jones and four others. Debit cards were issued in the stolen identities of four more people, but no deposits were made.

Jones obtained some of the personal information to set up the accounts from Cheryl Johnson, his girlfriend, who had supervised the victims while employed at various St. Louis area businesses.

On June 3, 2021, Jones submitted counterfeit pay stubs from a fake business associated with Johnson to obtain a $31,700 vehicle loan. He and Johnson submitted counterfeit insurance identification cards to accept delivery of the vehicle. On June 25, 2021, they arrived at the St. Louis County home of James Whitiker in that vehicle, as law enforcement was performing a court-approved search. Investigators found a notebook containing the names, Social Security numbers and birthdates of about 35 individuals, two more pieces of paper with the identifying information of 18 others, three stolen identification documents, nine Pennsylvania unemployment insurance benefit debit cards and stolen credit and debit cards.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29.

Johnson, 44, pleaded guilty February 20 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced in May. Whitiker, 43, pleaded guilty in July to a conspiracy charge and was sentenced in October to three years of prison. He admitted using two debit cards during the conspiracy and knowing that Jones and Johnson were using his home to commit the unemployment fraud.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a convicted felon who shot at St. Louis County Police Department officers in 2020 to 25 years in prison.

On Sept. 1, 2020, Dexter McKinnies shot at police, including officers who were members of the FBI Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, as they were trying to arrest him. Police had been trying to locate Dexter McKinnies during an investigation of multiple violent crimes and learned that his brother, Lawton McKinnies, had an active felony arrest warrant for three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action.

Officers arranged a meeting as a ruse. The McKinnies went to the meeting believing that they would be performing maintenance work on a property. When Lawton McKinnies arrived, officers arrested him and discovered that he was armed with a 9mm pistol. Dexter McKinnies was across the street and fired multiple shots at officers with a 9mm pistol, striking an FBI truck. Officers returned fire and struck McKinnies.

Both McKinnies are convicted felons and are thus barred from possessing a firearm.

Dexter McKinnies, now 34, pleaded guilty in November to five felonies: one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts each of assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Lawton McKinnies, now 36, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to three years in prison. In March, he was sentenced to another year for violating his supervised release.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Boyce and Nichole Frankenberg prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man on Friday admitted stealing railroad equipment on 33 occasions in Missouri and Illinois, costing railroads more than $1.5 million.

Jesse Henry, 21, of Laclede County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of damaging a railroad signal system. He admitted being responsible for a total of 33 thefts out of different railroad bungalows in Missouri and Illinois in 2022 and 2023. Henry stole railroad control equipment, signs, plans and blueprints from the bungalows, which are metal structures that contain railroad gear.

In the Spring of 2023, railroads noticed an increase in thefts and contacted local and federal law enforcement. Among the items that were stolen was a crossing controller at the Seeger Lane crossing in Foristell, Missouri on August 8, 2023. A passing train crew noticed that the crossing signal was not functioning and the gates blocking the road were down, creating a danger if vehicles drove around the gates. The FBI traced the theft to Henry and performed a court-approved search of his family’s home near Richland, Missouri on Nov. 28, 2023. They recovered the crossing controller from Foristell, as well as blueprints, schematics, documents, dozens of signs and other items.

Henry is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The FBI investigated the case, with the assistance of the railroads. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – Four Franklin County, Missouri men have admitted using stolen checks from the U.S. Mail to commit bank fraud.

Matthew Cahill, 40, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of bank fraud. Cahill admitted that from roughly February 2020 through September 2021, he and others stole personal checks, business checks, bank account information and the personally identifying information of multiple victims by removing outgoing or delivered mail from mailboxes, residences and vehicles. Cahill and the others altered the checks or created counterfeit checks, and then used those checks at retail stores, deposited them or cashed them at banks. Cahill also electronically accessed a victim’s account and sent an unauthorized online ACH payment to an associate. The scheme created an actual and intended loss of $67,807.

Cahill is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29.

Donald Anderson, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $26,527 to victims.

Joshua Hopkins, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to repay $1,395.

Harvey Hale, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $19,550.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man indicted and accused of aiding a scam that cost at least four victims more than $550,000 was arrested Friday in Florida.

Michael P. Garcia, 36, of the Miami area, was indicted on Dec. 18, 2024, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

The conspirators contacted victims and made various false claims to induce victims to hand over cash or valuables, the indictment says.  In one instance, the conspirators claimed to be from a victim’s financial institution and told the victim that her accounts had been compromised and were being used for illegal activity and that the victim needed to give them money to stop that illegal activity. Couriers were then sent to pick up valuables from victims of the scam.

Garcia is accused in the indictment of recruiting and paying a courier to pick up $20,000 in cash and gold bars from two victims in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 30, 2023. The courier picked up another $30,000 in cash two days later, the indictment says. Garcia is also accused of sending that same courier to Summerfield, North Carolina in November of 2023 to pick up gold bars from a victim there. That same month, Garcia sent the courier to pick up about $200,000 in gold bars from a 76-year-old Fenton, Missouri victim who’d already supplied the conspirators with $20,000 in cryptocurrency, the indictment says. The courier has been arrested and charged.

Garcia will be brought to St. Louis to face charges.

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

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri middle school teacher on Wednesday admitted possessing hundreds of images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.

Scott R. Ellis, 38, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography. Ellis admitted possessing 72 images containing child abuse material on his cell phone and about 700 videos and more than 900 images in his Mega cloud storage account.

The investigation began with two cyber tipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child pornography in Ellis’ Google account.

Ellis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Special Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri who was caught twice with guns and drugs was found guilty Wednesday of all seven charges that he faced.

Jurors found Antonio Dixson, 37, guilty of two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a defaced firearm.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that on Dec. 1, 2020, Dixson was stopped in Wentzville, Missouri in a Honda SUV that had fled from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers two weeks earlier. When Dixson stepped out of the rear seat of the vehicle, a Glock pistol fell from his waist to the ground. A Taurus Judge revolver was visibly protruding from his pocket. Police then found ammunition and drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, PCP and cocaine, in his pockets.

After Dixson was indicted for the Wentzville incident, he was arrested on Feb. 25, 2021, by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers who spotted a Mercury Villager driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Officers found two guns and drugs in the pockets of Dixson’s pants.

Dixson is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms.

Dixson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3. He faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Wentzville Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Dunkel and Hal Goldsmith are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who produced and sold fraudulent identification documents to two years in prison.

David B. Crosby, 28, pleaded guilty in November to one count of fraud with identification documents and admitted selling stolen and/or fraudulent identification documents and a Social Security number via social media.

Crosby sold a fraudulent Missouri driver’s license in October 2023, bearing the name and information of a victim but the photograph of someone else. He also sold the victim’s Social Security number to the same buyer. That identification document and information was subsequently utilized to attempt to purchase a roughly $70,000 BMW in Texas through a fraudulent loan. Crosby also used false identification documents to try to lease an apartment and obtain a $33,000 automobile loan. Crosby admitted intending to cause a total loss of at least $103,000.

The U.S. Secret Service, the St. Charles Police Department and the Wentzville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU - U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender caught with child sexual abuse material to 130 months in prison. 

Thomas O. Stroud Jr., 43, of Wappapello, in Wayne County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in November to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Stroud has a prior federal conviction for possessing child pornography in 2009.  Following his release from federal prison, Stroud was required to register as a sex offender.  He was also placed on a 40-year term of supervised release.  In March 2024, while Stroud was serving his term of supervised release, Stroud’s probation officer discovered that he had been using a cell phone to communicate with someone in Indiana.  During the communications, Stroud obtained several images of child pornography.  

After serving his 130-month sentence, Stroud will once again be placed on supervised release.    

This case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Monday found a St. Louis man guilty of a cocaine trafficking charge and charges related to the death of nine people during a nearly six-year period.

Evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Anthony “TT” Jordan, 38, was the leader of a cocaine trafficking ring. Jordan committed murders to protect that organization and hinder any investigation by law enforcement. He later committed additional murders to retaliate against a St. Louis gang he held responsible for the murder of a friend, gathering information and targeting gang members with the help of associates. Jordan and his co-conspirators also killed several bystanders, to include Clara Walker, a 51-year-old mother of nine, and Keairrah Johnson. Among those who testified were direct witnesses to the murders.

Jordan was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and nine counts of use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime resulting in death. Those counts relate to the following fatal shootings, with details according to trial testimony:

•    The April 19, 2008, deaths of Al Walters, Linnie Jackson, and Keith Burks. Walters was Jordan’s target.
•    The Feb. 3, 2010, deaths of Marquis Jones and Keairrah Johnson. Jones was the target.
•    The June 25, 2013, death of Anthony “Blinky” Clark.
•    The Dec. 29, 2013, deaths of Robert “Parker G” Parker and Clara Walker. Parker was the target.
•    The Jan. 21, 2014, death of Michail “Yellow Mack” Gridiron.

Jordan was also convicted of a nonfatal shooting on Dec. 23, 2013.  

“I would like to thank the jury for their service over the last few weeks and commend all of our law enforcement partners, the Assistant United States Attorneys, and the support staff who worked tirelessly over the years to investigate and prosecute this case,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “With today’s guilty verdict, justice was served.  The evidence proved without a doubt that Anthony Jordan is a violent drug-trafficker and serial murderer who needed to be removed from the streets of St. Louis. Our office remains dedicated to working with our local, state, and federal counterparts to bring at least some measure of comfort and resolution to the families of the victims of such violence, as they deserve nothing less.”

“These murders were committed to benefit a large-scale drug trafficking organization that flooded our communities with poison directly sourced from cartels in Mexico. Anthony Jordan is not only a drug trafficker, but a serial murderer whose job was to eliminate competition from other drug dealers,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “St. Louis is a safer place with Jordan and his associates off the streets.”

“Today’s verdict is the culmination of countless hours of investigative work,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “Over a span of several years, we uncovered the extent of Anthony Jordan’s reach into our St. Louis neighborhoods. His acts of violence instilled fear in our communities, while the drugs he pushed destroyed lives. Let this serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. The DEA, in partnership with our fellow law enforcement agencies, will go to great lengths to bring justice to the families impacted by those who inflict pain and suffering in our neighborhoods.”

The trial began with jury selection on January 31. Jordan is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, and faces up to life in prison.

Jordan’s cocaine was supplied by Adrian Lemons, who obtained cocaine in bulk from representatives of a Mexican cartel. Lemons, now 46, of St. Louis, was sentenced in 2020 to 20 years in prison. Lemons, Jordan and 32 others were indicted as part of a long-running investigation by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Granger and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Charlotte, North Carolina has admitted embezzling at least $300,000 from a St. Louis County company, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Monday.

Scott H. Foster, 48, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of wire fraud. He admitted as part of his plea that he committed the crime from January 2018 to December 2022, while employed as a mid-level executive of the company. Foster manipulated the human resources systems to create an employee account for his paramour, triggering wages and benefits totaling more than $273,000.00 to be paid to his paramour over nearly five years, despite this individual performing little or no actual work for the company. Foster also used a corporate American Express card to pay for more than $33,000 in personal travel for himself, his paramour and other friends and acquaintances.

Foster is scheduled to be sentenced May 22.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man who engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old that he met online and discussed sex with another 15-year-old to 25 years in prison.

Andrew Haller, 34, met two 15-year-old girls on Tumblr before moving their conversations to the encrypted app Telegram.

The 15-year-old California victim came forward in October of 2023 and told the FBI that Haller was sexually abusing another teen. She said Haller told her that he had imposed rules on the other victim, and proposed rules for the California victim. The rules included that she would have to ask his permission once a day to urinate, wear a collar and refer to him only as “Sir,” Dad” or “Daddy.” He also asked her for nude photos and sent her photos and videos of the other victim.

After identifying Haller and performing a court-approved search of his home in November of 2023, the FBI identified that other victim. The victim told the FBI that she met Haller in person twice in 2023 and engaged in sexual activity. Haller struck her during the first visit and took pictures and videos of her, his plea says. He also told her he wanted to abuse children too young to talk or remember the abuse. She sent Haller sexually explicit photos at his direction.

In a letter to the court, the second victim said Haller won her trust by claiming that he suffered mental illness, as she did. Then he began controlling her, making demands and ordering her to carve his initial into her thigh. “He wanted me to have kids so he could abuse them,” she wrote.

Haller also possessed 195 images and 92 videos of known or suspected child sexual abuse material and sent that material to others via Telegram and Signal, another encrypted app, his plea says.

Haller pleaded guilty in October to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A former police officer in Venice, Ill. on Thursday admitted striking a handcuffed man in the face after a police chase.

Justin Gaither, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from the use of unreasonable force. He admitted that on Nov. 20, 2022, while working in full uniform and on duty with the Venice Police Department, he began pursuing a car that was displaying stolen license plates. The car drove over spike strips that Gaither deployed, then over the McKinley Bridge and into St. Louis. A Brooklyn (Illinois) Police Department officer was also pursuing the car. The pursuit ended in the 3800 block of Parnell Avenue in St. Louis and all of the vehicle’s occupants ran away from the car. Gaither and the Brooklyn officer, accompanied by that officer’s K9, chased the driver. The driver was bitten while climbing over a fence, fell and was then handcuffed by the Brooklyn officer. As Gaither lifted the driver from the ground to escort him to a police vehicle, he struck the driver twice in the face without justification and without a legitimate purpose, the plea agreement says. The driver suffered a broken nose.

Gaither is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2. The charge carries penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and fine.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A woman from Washington, Missouri has been indicted and accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from her former employer.

Victoria Isgriggs, formerly known as Victoria Denise Missey, was indicted on February 13 with two counts of bank fraud and four counts of wire fraud. She was arrested Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis the same day to plead not guilty.

The indictment says Isgriggs, 44, worked at a Franklin County nursery and florist as an office manager and accountant from approximately Nov. 26, 2023, through April 29, 2024.  The indictment accuses Isgriggs of using a company bank account and company credit cards to pay personal expenses, including credit card debt, cell phone expenses, utility bills, and rent. The indictment also accuses Isgriggs of using company credit cards to make personal purchases that included luxury items and airfare.  

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of jewelry, Christian Louboutin footwear and Louis Vuitton bags and accessories.

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

The U.S. Secret Service and the Washington (Missouri) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a doctor who ran two urgent care centers in the St. Louis area to 35 months in prison for defrauding Medicare and Missouri Medicaid and ordered him to repay $742,528.

Dr. Sonny Saggar, 57, will also be on supervised release for three years after he leaves prison.

Saggar pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to one count of conspiracy. He admitted that while operating St. Louis General Hospital (SLGH) locations in downtown St. Louis and near Creve Coeur, he and his office manager hired assistant physicians (APs) to see patients but billed Medicare and Missouri Medicaid as if Dr. Saggar had seen them, even when he was out of town. APs are medical school graduates who have not completed a residency program. To legally practice medicine in Missouri, they are required to be closely supervised by a licensed physician under written collaborative practice arrangements (CPAs) that restrict the AP's ability to provide medical services and limit their practice areas to medically underserved rural or urban areas.

Dr. Saggar admitted hiring “numerous” APs from July 2018 to July 2023 to work at the SLGH locations, which he and office manager Renita Barringer advertised as both urgent and primary care facilities and as a “residency prep” program and a “stepping stone” for the APs. Dr. Saggar admitted that APs were not properly trained or supervised and that he and Barringer advised them to consult each other on their medical questions. One physician can legally supervise no more than six APs, so Dr. Saggar offered stipends of up to $480 per month to various physicians to induce them to sign up to be collaborating physicians, and then submitted CPA forms to the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts to falsely make it appear as if the APs were being properly supervised. He admitted that the Creve Coeur location is not medical underserved and thus APs are not permitted to work there.

Finally, Dr. Saggar admitted that in January of 2022, he hired a doctor who had been indicted in another case to be the sole collaborating physician at the Creve Coeur location but did not disclose to Medicaid that the co-conspirator was performing services there. That physician’s billing privileges with Medicaid had been suspended.

The conduct of Dr. Saggar and Barringer caused a loss to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid of $742,528.

"Today's sentencing underscores our commitment to ensuring that providers are held accountable for submitting fraudulent claims for financial gain and for deliberately concealing critical information about healthcare professionals,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “HHS-OIG, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue working together to safeguard the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs."

“This crime went beyond bilking taxpayer funded healthcare programs. Dr. Sonny Saggar risked the well-being of patients with urgent medical needs. He knew his assistant physicians were not qualified to see patients without supervision,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “To add further insult to injury, Dr. Saggar falsely claimed he was the one who saw the patients so he could bill Medicare and Medicaid.”

“Doctors are expected to follow a certain code of conduct and obey the laws and regulations put in place to protect their clients,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “Our investigation shows that Dr. Saggar broke with protocol and endangered lives with his negligence. As a result of his misconduct, he was arrested, surrendered his DEA Certificate of Registration, can no longer prescribe controlled substances and faces nearly three years in federal prison.”

Barringer, 51, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Northwoods, in St. Louis County, Missouri, has been accused of child sex trafficking.

Rodarius Servick, 50, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday on one count of child sex trafficking and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He appeared in court and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

The indictment accuses Servick of recruiting, enticing, harboring, transporting or providing a minor for a commercial sex act between August 19, 2024, and Sept. 13, 2024, and transporting that minor across state lines for the purpose of prostitution on August 19.

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

A motion seeking to have Servick held in jail until trial says law enforcement learned on Sept. 13, 2024, of a runaway juvenile that was being trafficked. Detectives found an advertisement with her picture online, and the St. Louis County Police Department conducted an undercover operation that recovered the girl days later.

The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A undocumented immigrant living in St. Charles County, Missouri was indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and accused of receiving images containing child sexual abuse material.

Francisco J. Ocana-Talamantes, 46, was indicted on one count of receiving child pornography. The indictment accuses him of receiving those images via the internet between Feb. 11, 2020, and March 14, 2024.

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

Ocana-Talamantes is already in custody.

A motion seeking to have him held in jail until trial says that Ocana-Talamantes is in the country illegally.

“The FBI and our local law enforcement partners had been investigating Franscisco Ocana-Talamantes for his alleged crimes against children,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Because this defendant had entered the country illegally, the FBI was able to expedite his federal indictment and arrest by leveraging our assistance to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement action.”

The charge carries a potential penalty of at least five years in prison, with a maximum of 20 years.

The FBI, the St. Charles Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case. 

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

ST. LOUIS – Donald Eugene Fields II, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list until his arrest on January 26 in Florida, pleaded not guilty Friday to child sex charges in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

Fields, now 60, of Franklin County, Missouri, was originally indicted on Dec. 7, 2022. He now faces a child sex trafficking charge and a charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The indictment accuses him of knowingly attempting to recruit, entice, provide, patronize and solicit a minor into engaging in a commercial sex act from about January 2013 until June 2017 and traveling to Florida in 2016 to engage in sex with a minor.

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

Fields was arrested during a traffic stop by police in Lady Lake, Florida after officers learned that he was on the Most Wanted list. 

“Donald Fields II will finally answer federal charges thanks to the outstanding work by the Lady Lake Police Department,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We applaud the bravery of the alleged victims, who showed up in court today to face the defendant for the first time since he became a federal fugitive more than two years ago. The FBI will continue to provide victim services to support their emotional journey through the legal process.”

The case was investigated jointly by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced today that the Eastern District of Missouri collected $23.5 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $11 million was collected in criminal actions and $12.5 million was collected in civil actions.  

Additionally, the Eastern District of Missouri worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect $16.9 million in cases pursued jointly by these offices, the majority of which was collected in civil actions.          
     
Among the civil settlements were two cases involving allegations of false claims for medical services. Total Access Urgent Care (TAUC) paid $9.1 million and a Festus pain management doctor, Dr. Nehal Modh paid $1.2 million.

Nearly $1 million of the total collected in criminal actions came from a continuing case against two Jefferson County chiropractors who aided their clients in committing disability fraud. So far, 27 patients have pleaded guilty and been ordered to repay fraudulently-obtained disability payments. 

More than $880,000 was recovered in fiscal year 2024 from the garnishment of the retirement accounts belonging to two doctors who pleaded guilty in separate criminal cases. About $628,000 was recovered from Dr. Amy Swegan, who admitted accepting kickbacks from telemedicine companies involved in a nationwide fraud scheme. Nearly $255,000 was collected from Dr. Ashu Joshi, who distributed child pornography involving the daughter of a former patient.

“These cases show that our Financial Litigation Unit will aggressively pursue restitution for victims and taxpayers, even if it takes years after a case is resolved,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $5.6 million in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. 

ST. LOUIS – Four people have admitted selling methamphetamine or multiple machine gun conversion devices to an undercover federal agent.

Reginald Smith, 28, of Jennings, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of possession of one or more machine guns, one count of unlawfully dealing in firearms and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.

Three others have also admitted their roles in the case. Delance Bland Jr., 20, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of one or more machine guns. Kevin Burrow, 26, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine. Tamika Patterson, 45, of Jennings, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.

After learning that Smith was selling machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) on Facebook, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began an investigation. MCDs, also known as switches or auto sears, convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon.

On Dec. 5, 2023, an undercover ATF agent bought a Glock pistol and two Glock switches from Smith in St. Louis. On December 11, Smith sold another pistol to the agent and introduced him to his mother, Patterson, who said she could sell him meth. On December 13, the agent and Patterson met with Burrow, Patterson’s source of meth, and the agent bought 55.5 grams of the drug. Smith sold the agent a stolen pistol. Smith claimed he and Bland were the main dealers of MCDs in St. Louis, and that they ordered them 10 at a time from China.

The agent then purchased a total of 35 MCDs in a series of transactions.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15. The machine gun charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The unlawful dealing of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to five years. The aiding and abetting the distribution of meth carries a penalty of up to 20 years.

Burrow is scheduled to be sentenced March 19, and Patterson’s sentencing is set for May 7. Bland was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a Farmington, Missouri business owner who committed bank fraud, Clean Air Act violations and witness tampering to 108 months in prison.

Judge Pitlyk also ordered Christopher Lee Carroll, 55, to pay restitution of $3 million.

Carroll was convicted by a jury in August of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, 13 violations of the Clean Air Act and two counts of threatening a witness.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Carroll and his business partner, George Reed, were owners of a time share exit company called Square One Group LLC. In April of 2020, they submitted a false and fraudulent application for a $1.2 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The loan application falsely stated that the spouses of Reed and Carroll owned the company in order to conceal Carroll’s status as a paroled felon, which would have precluded his company from receiving PPP funds. Carroll also used his wife’s name to avoid any potential liability for the fraud, a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors says.

The PPP loan was supposed to help save businesses and jobs, but Carroll did not use the money to pay dozens of employees who were out of work or keep paying for health insurance for 17 of those employees. Instead, he used it to start a trucking company, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair LLC. Carroll and Reed then applied for loan forgiveness, falsely claiming that they’d spent the money on payroll and other permitted expenses.

Reed and Carroll later sought a second loan of more than $1.6 million, taking a total of $660,000 in “owner draws” from the company after the loan was approved, the evidence showed.

The Clean Air Act violations relate to emissions control equipment designed to reduce pollutants. Carroll had that equipment taken off Whiskey Dix’s fleet of diesel trucks. Carroll asked one employee to “take the fall” for his crimes and told another that he would stop paying for the employee’s lawyer if he talked to federal agents, evidence and testimony showed. Carroll did stop paying for the lawyer.

Carroll is a “consummate fraudster,” the government sentencing memo says, who ran a company that preyed on elderly victims before committing the pandemic loan fraud and other crimes. Carroll is also “a dangerous, violent person,” the memo says, citing prior convictions including felonious restraint and forcible sodomy and evidence of Carroll’s participation in a murder-for-hire scheme.

“This prosecution reinforces our office’s priority of going after the worst pandemic fraudsters,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “People like Christopher Carroll took advantage of a once-in-a-generation crisis to enrich themselves at the expense of struggling Americans.  This office will continue to make sure that defendants like Carroll are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This latest conviction is the tip of the iceberg for this career criminal,” said FBI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson. “In addition to defrauding the taxpayer-funded loan program in this latest case, Chris Carroll bailed on customers to line his own pockets with the millions of dollars they paid him to help exit timeshares. Furthermore, Carroll’s violent criminal history includes being a convicted sex offender for forcible sodomy.”

Whiskey Dix was also found guilty of 16 Clean Air Act violations. Judge Pitlyk sentenced the company to three years of probation.

Reed, now 70, pleaded guilty to bank fraud in September of 2022 and admitted fraudulently applying for, obtaining and using the two PPP loans. Reed admitted as part of his guilty plea that the company failed to pay a “significant number” of employees, despite the PPP loans, and that Carroll terminated the health insurance benefits of at least 17 employees. Reed was sentenced last month to time served and ordered to pay $3 million in restitution.

The FBI and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwendolyn Carroll and Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a man from St. Charles, Missouri to 72 months in prison and ordered him to pay $170,500 in restitution to victims who appeared in the child sexual abuse material he collected.  

Judge Fleissig also fined Brian Larkin $10,000 and ordered him to pay a $20,000 assessment that will go to child pornography victims. After his release from prison, Larkin will be on supervised release for life.

Larkin, now 54, pleaded guilty in October to one felony count of receiving child pornography. He admitted possessing over 972 image files and 962 video files containing child sexual abuse material on a thumb drive that he kept in a safe.

The investigation began in September of 2023, when the FBI’s St. Louis office learned of Larkin’s chat room communications about child sexual exploitation. Larkin had also been the subject of two Cyber Tipline Reports to the National Center for Exploited & Missing Children reporting that he’d used Kik Messenger to upload a total of five files containing child pornography.

During a Nov. 29, 2023, court-approved search of Larkin’s home, agents found the thumb drive in a gun safe.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Farmington, Missouri on Friday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material and sending it to his girlfriend’s father.

Stephen Curtis Mincey Watters, 39, of Farmington, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography as a prior offender. He admitted sending four images containing child sexual abuse material via Facebook on Aug. 3, 2023, to the father of his girlfriend. That triggered a cyber tipline report to law enforcement from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children.

On Sept. 28, 2023, Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators conducted a court-approved search of Watters’ home. Watters admitted searching for and viewing child pornography. Investigators also recovered communications between Watters and his girlfriend’s father, Brandel Lee Akers.

Akers told investigators that Watters had been sending him child sexual abuse material for about one year via text messages and Facebook.

Watters is scheduled to be sentenced May 7. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of 12 years in prison.

Akers, now 55, of St. Francois County, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. 

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from the Slovak Republic who fraudulently obtained pandemic relief loans to 38 months in prison and ordered him to repay $738,118.

Mark Ethan Jermain submitted three false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications from April 26, 2020, to July 16, 2021, while he was in the Slovak Republic. Jermain used his prior legal name, Arsene Millogo. The April 26, 2020, application sought $80,000 for Crazyeats LLC, which Jermain established in Missouri in 2017. On May 13, 2020, Jermain sought $325,275 for a company he’d set up called Unimentors LLC. After the loan was approved, Jermain submitted a Second Draw PPP loan application for $325,275 on Feb. 5, 2021.

Jermain transferred the loan money to Slovakia. The PPP loans were intended to help struggling American businesses and jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jermain instead used the money for personal purchases and other unapproved purposes.

“Mark Ethan Jermain fraudulently applied for and received PPP loans for businesses that didn’t exist anywhere but on paper. Furthermore, he used the identity of a former business partner, unbeknownst to the partner, to defraud the taxpayer funded program out of nearly three quarters of a million dollars,” said FBI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson. “Jermain is being held accountable in timely fashion after FBI special agents nabbed him at the airport in New York before he tried to fly out of the country.”

Jermain returned to the U.S. on August 17, 2023. He was indicted on August 30 and arrested by FBI agents on September 7, the day he was scheduled to leave the country.

Jermain, now 42, pleaded guilty in June to three counts of wire fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information about pandemic fraud should call the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or report via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced a man who organized a nationwide scheme that stole $1.17 million worth of rental cars to 90 months in prison.

Tyrell A. Oliver, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, was also ordered to repay the money. Oliver hatched a scheme in which he reserved luxury rental vehicles using stolen credit card information and stolen identities.  Oliver and others then picked up the rental cars by assuming the stolen identities and presenting false driver’s licenses and counterfeit credit cards at the rental location.

Oliver began the scheme in August of 2021 by trying to steal three rental vehicles, according to a sentencing memo filed in his case. On the third attempt, staff of the rental car company suspected fraud. Oliver fled and was arrested while trying to board a flight back to Atlanta.  That arrest did not dissuade Oliver. Instead, he expanded his operation, recruiting others “to do his dirty work,” the memo says. Oliver paid his co-conspirators to fly to airports around the country, including in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, to steal cars on his behalf.

In all, Oliver and his co-conspirators used the stolen identities of at least 23 victims to steal 19 rental vehicles, Oliver’s plea agreement says.

Oliver pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft. James E. McGhaney, 36, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. McGhaney recruited and supervised some of the other participants in the scheme, his plea agreement says.  He is scheduled to be sentenced February 19.

Steven B. Matthews, 40, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. New York residents Shawnta B. Fonseca, 34, Reginald M. Glenn, 36, Marlique J. McGhaney, 35, and Daquasia M. Robinson, 33, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Rashad Holder, 35, of New York, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Holder was sentenced to 65 months in prison in December and ordered to repay $581,711. Marlique McGhaney was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $237,447. Matthews was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to repay $107,072. Glenn was sentenced to 13 months in prison. Fonseca and Robinson are scheduled to be sentenced in March.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis tax preparer on Monday admitted preparing at least 41 fraudulent tax returns for the tax years 2017-2021.

Shasherese M. Reed, 53, pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns. Reed admitted using a tax preparation business, Majac Money, which was opened by her daughter because the IRS revoked the Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) assigned to Reed and her business, Sha-Sha Taxes, in 2015. Reed falsely identified her daughter as the paid preparer on the tax returns that Reed prepared at Majac Money. On these returns, Reed commonly included a false Schedule C that reported tens of thousands of dollars in business expenses, when the taxpayer either had substantially smaller expenses or did not own a business at all. Reed also claimed false and fraudulent deductions for things like state and local taxes, medical and dental expenses and mortgage interest, her plea agreement says.

Reed also admitted preparing a fraudulent tax return for an undercover agent with IRS Criminal Investigation who was posing as a potential client of Majac Money. Without ever asking if the agent had a business, Reed prepared a return that included a false Schedule C showing $26,242 in business expenses, the plea agreement says.

Reed charged clients hundreds of dollars in fees for preparing returns, making about $378,026 in fees for the 2017-2021 tax years. Her plea says she prepared at least 41 false tax returns for 13 different taxpayers, costing the IRS at least $312,192.

Reed is scheduled to be sentenced May 6.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted possessing a machine gun and committing a drug robbery and a carjacking.

Walter C. Moore, 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery, carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Moore admitted using Facebook to arrange for the purchase of $900 worth of the painkiller Oxycodone on April 25, 2024. The seller drove to Moore’s house and invited him to sit in her 2014 Mazda6 to complete the sale. Moore pulled out a handgun, grabbed the Oxycodone pills and ordered the seller out, threatening to shoot her. Moore then sped off in her car.

St. Louis County police located the car near the 1800 block of Chambers Road. Moore ran as police approached, but he was quickly located and arrested. He had discarded a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” or machinegun conversion device, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. It also had an extended magazine and a laser sight. Moore’s phone contained pictures of him with that gun and others. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.

Moore is scheduled to be sentenced May 6. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Moore’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A purported auto mechanic from Arizona on Tuesday admitted defrauding at least nine victims in Missouri and elsewhere out of more than $1.4 million, including one victim after he was charged.

Andres “Manny” Lopez, 36, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.

Lopez admitted that from November 2019 through July 2023, while running All Performance Tuning and Diesel Repair LLC in Arizona, he committed fraud by accepting money for vehicle upgrades and parts with no intention of performing the work. Lopez used the advance payments for personal expenses. He also damaged some customer vehicles and loaned vehicles to others without the owners’ consent. Several customers paid Lopez to find and purchase vehicles on their behalf. After receiving up-front payments, Lopez falsely told customers that he purchased their requested vehicles. But he actually used the money for personal expenses and provided customers with myriad false excuses as to why the vehicles could not be delivered.

A Missouri victim wired Lopez $45,000 for a Toyota RAV4 that he wanted to buy for his mother. Lopez falsely claimed that he’d bought the vehicle. He then provided a series of excuses about why it was not being delivered. Lopez claimed delivery delays were due to product recalls, even impersonating the general manager of a Florida Toyota dealership in text messages to the client’s mother.

In the guilty plea, Lopez admitted defrauding one victim out of approximately $567,892 after he was indicted in October of 2023 for the other frauds.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced May 9.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man who recorded his rape of a minor with an intellectual disability to 30 years in prison.

In March of 2024, the 17-year-old victim’s mother contacted the Poplar Bluff Police Department about Jason R. Hicks-Simpson. The victim told investigators that Hicks-Simpson had been sexually abusing her since she was five, his plea agreement says. She also said Hicks-Simpson threatened to kill her and her kittens if she did not keep the secret. Hicks-Simpson told police that it had only happened once several months earlier. Investigators found videos dating back to May of 2023 on his phone, the plea agreement says.

Hicks-Simpson, of Poplar, Bluff, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in October to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Hicks-Simpson will now be transferred to state court to face charges there.

The Poplar Bluff Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon caught video calling a jail inmate while displaying firearms pleaded guilty to a gun charge Thursday.

In June of 2024, Bruce Donta Robinson, 28, contacted an inmate at a detention facility in Pulaski County, Illinois via video call. During the call, Robinson can be seen with what appeared to be two semi-automatic weapons. Robinson is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. He was also on supervised release from a prior gun crime at the time.

After reviewing the video call, the FBI obtained a court-approved search warrant for Robinson’s St. Louis County residence. Agents found a loaded Polymer 80 semi-automatic pistol with no serial number and a large capacity magazine, a loaded Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a laser attachment and a stolen Rock River Arms AR-15 pistol with a large capacity magazine.
    
Robinson pleaded guilty to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced Georgia R. Phillips, 49, of East St. Louis, Illinois, to 120 months (10 years) in federal prison for the offense of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.

Court records reflect that Phillips was pulled over for a traffic violation on Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County last May. During the stop, officers discovered large quantities of controlled substances in her vehicle, including approximately four ounces of crack cocaine. After being placed under arrest, Phillips admitted she was traveling from East St. Louis to deliver the controlled substances to an individual in Hayti, Missouri. The pair met in prison while serving a previous sentence for a drug-trafficking crime. At her guilty plea hearing last year, Phillips admitted that she intended to distribute the controlled substances. After serving her sentence, Phillips will be placed on a three-year term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who tried to persuade minors into engaging in sex acts online to 14 years in prison.

Judge Autrey also ordered Jason Michael Enke to pay a special assessment of $5,300 that will go to victims of child sexual abuse material. Once released from prison, he will be on supervised release for life.

From August to October of 2023, Enke sent a series of sexually explicit messages during online chat sessions and via social media to five people who identified themselves online as minors. He tried to persuade the minors to engage in sexual conduct and shared a video of himself and a 16-year-old engaging in sex acts.

In November of 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) notified the FBI’s St. Louis office that Enke had sent a video containing child pornography to an Instagram user who listed their age as 15. FBI agents performed a court-approved search of Enke’s home near Bourbon, Missouri and found videos containing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.

“We thank the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for sharing tips in this case and others,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “As a result, FBI St. Louis, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri have taken another predator off the streets so he can no longer prey on children.”

Enke, 45, of Crawford County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

The FBI and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Maplewood, Missouri has been arrested on charges accusing him of selling machine gun conversion devices.

Tanario Darden, 22, was arrested Monday and pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felony counts: transporting prohibited weapons without a license and transferring machine guns. He was indicted on those charges January 22.

The indictment says Darden transported and sold one or more machine guns between April 1, 2024, and August 30, 2024.

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

A motion seeking to have Darden held in jail until trial says he was using a social media account to sell machine gun conversion devices (MCDs).

MCDs, also known as switches or auto sears, convert a semi-automatic firearm into fully automatic weapon, which is defined as a machine gun under federal law.

“These highly dangerous devices can convert a run-of-the-mill firearm into a weapon of war, transforming a street corner into a combat zone, devastating entire communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard G. Hansen of the ATF Kansas City Field Division.

The transporting prohibited weapons charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison. The machine gun charge carries a penalty of 10 years in prison.

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

JoeMarius Green, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in prostitution. Green’s co-defendant, Chantel Robinson, 20, pleaded guilty in November to one felony count of possession of child pornography.

Green admitted as part of his plea that he took a female minor and others from Dallas to Kansas City on Feb. 12, 2023, to engage in prostitution during the Super Bowl. After about four days, Green took the victim and others to a St. Louis area hotel for the same reason. Green admitted managing the online prostitution ads, renting hotel rooms, setting price points for sex acts and taking all cash proceeds from the victim’s commercial sex acts.

Robinson admitted engaging in commercial sex acts, taking sexually explicit and sexually suggestive photos of minors and posting online advertisements for commercial sex acts. She oversaw the prostitution activities of minors when Green was absent.

Green is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. The charge carries a penalty of 10 years to life in prison. Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced April 8. Her charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced the former assistant general manager of a Richmond Heights, Missouri hotel to 39 months in prison for committing multiple frauds and ordered her to repay $226,882.

From March to October of 2023, Angelique Patterson, 40, manipulated the hotel’s reservation system to alter the records of customers who had paid using cash or credit cards. Patterson retroactively changed those reservations to falsely show that the customers had used the hotel’s loyalty rewards system “points” for their stay. She then added her own credit or debit card information into the system and had the customers’ payments “refunded” to her.

On Oct. 4, 2023, although not on duty, Patterson tried to use the hotel's desk computer and a coworker's credentials to fraudulently refund herself an additional $61,998.

Patterson also used hotel customers’ credit card information from August through September of 2021 to make fake charges via the entertainment company she owned, Angel Entertains LLC. She obtained or tried to obtain $109,000 that way.

Patterson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in September to five counts of wire fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwen Carroll and Cort VanOstran prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man has pleaded guilty and admitted transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

Scott M. Arnold-Micke, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act. He admitted in his plea agreement that in 2021, he took the 17-year-old victim to Chicago, where they used drugs and engaged in sexual acts. Arnold-Micke met the victim that summer they used drugs on an almost daily basis after Arnold-Micke moved from Sullivan, Missouri to Rolla, Missouri.

Arnold-Micke is scheduled to be sentenced April 30. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Arnold-Micke’s lawyers have agreed to recommend 230 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Rolla Police Department, and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Monday sentenced a former professional basketball player to five years of probation, 200 hours of community service and $308,354 in restitution for pandemic loan fraud.

Lorenzo Gordon, now 41, fraudulently applied for two loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and three from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program in 2020. Both programs were intended to help businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon fraudulently applied for loans in the name of three companies: Logo Fitness LLC, Elite 50 Basketball Training LLC and Elite Health and Fitness Company LLC. Gordon received $107,074 in PPP loans and $165,700 in EIDL loans and advances. The restitution total includes fees and interest.

Gordon “took advantage of these programs for his personal gain despite suffering no such economic injury,” harming “those who truly needed those funds,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke wrote in a sentencing memo.

Gordon pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of theft of government money.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuted the case.