Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender living in Park Hills, Missouri has been arrested after having been indicted and accused of child enticement and child pornography offenses.

Reginald M. Miller, 56, of Park Hills, Missouri, appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. Miller was indicted by a grand jury on July 10 with six felonies: enticement and coercion of a minor as a repeat offender, attempted travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct as a repeat offender, solicitation of child pornography as a prior offender, receiving child pornography as a prior offender, transfer of obscene material to a minor and commission of a felony involving a minor as a prior offender.

The indictment accuses Miller of attempting to coerce a minor under the age of 15 into engaging in sexual activity, crossing state lines to engage in a sex act with someone younger than 15, soliciting images containing child pornography, receiving images containing child pornography and sending picture of his genitals, all between Dec. 1, 2023, and April 29, 2024.

The LaSalle Police Department, LaSalle County Sheriff's Office, Park Hills Police Department and FBI’s St. Louis Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

The enticement charge is punishable by at least 10 years in prison and not more than three life sentences. The attempted travel charge is punishable by up to 90 years in prison. The solicitation of child pornography as a prior offender is punishable by between 15 and 40 years in prison.

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.

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 Audrey G. Fleissig on Thursday sentenced an Ohio man who arranged to buy 200,000 counterfeit pills to 65 months in prison.

On June 27, 2021, Matthew Prunty, 31, of the Dayton area, sent another man to exchange $46,000 and 2,000 pills containing fentanyl for 200,000 counterfeit prescription pills at a state park in Franklin County, Missouri. The exchange had been arranged via an encrypted messaging app with an account that had been taken over by the FBI. Prunty’s courier and co-defendant, De Vonte Cole, was arrested after the exchange by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Interstate 44. The pills Cole delivered contained a total of more than 240 grams of fentanyl. 

Prunty pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Cole is serving a 30-month sentence after also pleading guilty.

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.

This prosecution 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 who orchestrated a conspiracy that stole checks from the U.S. mail and then committed bank fraud was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison.

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp also ordered Dareon Graham to repay $46,434 to victims.

In 2022, Graham obtained a stolen key that opened mail collection boxes and gave that key to his codefendant Tyrell Hardin. Graham agreed to pay Hardin to steal mail and told him to target specific collection boxes in and around St. Louis County. Hardin gave the stolen mail to Graham, who opened the mail and removed checks. Graham then recruited bank and credit union account holders to allow their accounts to be used to deposit checks after Graham had altered them.

During the scheme, Graham deposited or caused the deposit of fraudulent checks totaling at least $103,457 and obtained $46,434 in proceeds.

“This sentencing is a statement that mail theft will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” said Acting Inspector in Charge, John Jackman, who leads the St. Louis Field Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  “The Postal Inspection Service will continue to partner with other law enforcement agencies to collectively pursue criminals who victimize postal customers.”

Graham’s case came at a time of rising incidents of mail theft and robberies of and attacks on U.S. Postal Service employees. The Postal Service has responded by, among other things, enhancing the security of mail collection boxes and enhancing investigations of crimes associated with the mail. There were 1,025 arrests associated with mail theft cases and 213 associated with robberies from May 12, 2023 through March 2024, the Postal Inspection Service says.

Graham, 23, of Ferguson, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail theft, bank fraud and possession of stolen mail matter. Hardin, 22, of Hanley Hills, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail theft and two counts of mail theft.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland Heights Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Chesterfield Police Department, the Frontenac Police Department, the St. Peters Police Department and the Town and Country Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man who was caught with child sexual abuse material to 97 months in prison.

Philip Daniel Shurtliff, 34, will also have to register as a sex offender.

Shurtliff pleaded guilty in February to two counts of receipt of child pornography. He admitted that after a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force to his home, he told detectives that he had been trading child pornography for approximately 19 years. Shurtliff acknowledged that 42 files containing child sexual abuse material were in his Kik Messenger account and that investigators found 97 images and 27 videos containing child pornography on his phone. 

The FBI and the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman 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 – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a registered sex offender to a decade in prison for crossing state lines to engage in sex with a minor.

Joshua T. Wilson, 23, of Monroe County, Missouri, met the 16-year-old victim in the spring of 2022. Wilson, a registered sex offender, and the teen then began interacting almost daily via online apps. They engaged in sexual conversations and exchanged sexual images. Wilson also met up with the teen and took her to Kansas. He engaged in unlawful sexual activity with her during the trip.

Wilson pleaded guilty in April to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity. 

The FBI and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Wednesday sentenced a man caught with child pornography after approaching children in Kirkwood to 11 years in prison.

On April 12, 2022, Kirkwood Police Department officers were investigating allegations that Darrell Ray Sanders had approached children on the street. They identified Sanders as a person of interest and arrested him. At the police station, he admitted having child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators found images and videos containing child sexual abuse material on two cell phones belonging to Sanders.

Sanders, 29, of Jefferson County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

The Kirkwood Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Chapman 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 Missouri man who triggered a 19-hour standoff with law enforcement in 2022 was convicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of a gun charge.

The jury found Stephen J. Thorp, 62, of Moberly, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, members of a U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force were attempting to arrest Thorp on a warrant issued by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole. Thorp was on parole after having been convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Marion County Circuit Court. The warrant was triggered by new charges of resisting arrest in Callaway County, Missouri.

After a member of the Fugitive task force learned that Thorp was at another man’s home in Randolph County, near Moberly, members of the task force and the Northern Missouri Drug Task Force went to that home on April 11, 2022. Two occupants exited the house and told officers that Thorp was inside. Thorp ignored loudspeaker announcements to leave. A robot and a K-9 were both unsuccessful in getting him out. After a search warrant was obtained, the Moberly SWAT team sent a drone into the home. Thorp fired three shots while the drone was in the house. The drone later captured video of Thorp with a gun in his hand before he used that gun to disable the drone, evidence and testimony showed. The Moberly SWAT later deployed a chemical agent which forced Thorp out of the house.

The U.S. Marshals Service, the Moberly Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office aided in the arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Paul Rebar 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.

Two former Northwoods, Missouri, police officers were indicted last week for violating a man’s civil rights in 2023. One officer turned himself in yesterday, and the other turned himself in today.

Samuel Davis and Michael Hill were each indicted in relation to a July 4, 2023, encounter with a man, identified in the indictment as “C.G.,” after they were called to a Walgreens in Northwoods. Each were indicted on one count of conspiracy to intimidate C.G. in the free exercise and enjoyment of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure and deprivation of rights under color of law. Davis was also indicted on one count of engaging in misleading conduct with the intent to hinder, delay and prevent the communication of information relating to the possible commission of a federal offense and one count of altering records in a federal investigation. Hill was also indicted on one count of lying to the FBI.

According to the indictment, Hill, who was Davis’ supervisor, told Davis to take C.G. to Kinloch, Missouri. Davis then took C.G. to a field in Kinloch, where he struck the handcuffed man with his police baton. To cover up the incident, Davis told a dispatcher that C.G. was gone before Davis arrived at the Walgreens. Davis also allegedly turned off his body camera. The indictment also alleges Hill lied to FBI agents investigating the incident when he falsely stated that C.G. asked to go to Kinloch because he “had people” there.

If convicted, Davis and Hill each face a maximum penalty of life in prison for the charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights and deprivation of rights under color of law. Davis also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for witness tampering and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for destruction of records. Hill faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for lying to the FBI. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Saylor A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI St. Louis Field Office and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug for the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a man involved in a shooting at a St. Louis gas station to 11 years in prison.

On August 8, 2022, Santino Taylor, 20, of University City, Missouri, was stopped by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers who were investigating a shooting at the Shell Gas Station at 2800 North Florissant Avenue two days earlier. In the car, they found a black 9mm pistol that was used in the shooting. They found a magazine that fit the gun and 70 capsules containing fentanyl on Taylor. 

The police investigation revealed the victim of the shooting had exchanged words with a man and was advised by the man to leave the gas station parking lot. The victim did but returned a short time later. At that point, two men began shooting at the victim's vehicle. Police identified one of those shooters as Taylor. Taylor returned to the Shell two days later with a pistol tucked into his waistband.

Taylor pleaded guilty in March to three felonies: possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski 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 –U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Tuesday sentenced a man who was caught with guns twice while on supervised release to 78 months in prison.

On May 28, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers tried to pull over a Nissan Maxima with no front license plate and a rear license plate belonging to a truck when the driver sped away. The vehicle traveled at a high rate of speed in an erratic manner violating traffic signs and causing other vehicles to take evasive action. The driver struck another vehicle before getting on Interstate 70. After exiting at Adelaide Avenue and stopping, Edward A. Crawford got out and ran away. When detectives arrested Crawford, they found a loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Crawford said he tried to discard the gun on the interstate but only succeeded in throwing the magazine out.

After he was indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, deputy U.S. Marshals arrested him on August 17, 2023, at a home in the 3400 block of Montana Street in St. Louis. They found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and four individually wrapped baggies containing cocaine base weighing a total of 25.95 grams. Crawford was on supervised release after pleading guilty in 2018 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Crawford, 43, pleaded guilty in March.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke 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 doctor with an office in St. Louis and two employees have been indicted in U.S. District Court and accused of illegally prescribing controlled substances and health care fraud.

Dr. David A. Parks, 66, James M. Bilderback, 58, both of Jefferson County, Missouri, and Michelle J. Scheer, 43, of St. Louis, were each indicted on a charge of conspiracy to illegally prescribe controlled substances and five counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance. Parks and Bilderback were also indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight additional counts of illegal prescribing of a controlled substance and 15 counts of making false statements related to health care matters.

The indictment alleges that from at least July 6, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2021, the three conspired to knowingly and intentionally prescribe controlled substances outside of the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. The conspiracy’s goal was to maximize their patient population and, in turn, their profit, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback, the indictment alleges, also conspired to defraud Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and private health insurers by billing them for claims for services that falsely and fraudulently identified Parks as the provider, including at times when Parks was out of the country.

Parks ran David A. Parks, M.D., P.C., at 3960 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, and Bilderback was the clinical manager and clinical research coordinator and later married Parks, the indictment says. Scheer worked at the front desk.

Many patients regularly received Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine salts, the indictment says.

Parks was rarely present at the clinic, typically coming in one or two days per week for a few hours at a time, the indictment says. The staff used pre-signed prescriptions so patients could obtain controlled substances without being evaluated or having their medical records reviewed and while Parks was out of the office or on domestic or international trips, the indictment says. Bilderback or another staffer would sometimes forge Parks’ signature, it says. 

After prescriptions began being processed electronically in the spring of 2019, Parks and Bilderback gave the cell phone used to approve prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances to staffers with no prescribing authority, the indictment says. Scheer used the cell phone and made unilateral prescribing decisions about prescriptions, including by changing the dosages, quantities, and types of controlled substances, it says.

All three authorized prescriptions for controlled substances that, in combination, increased the addictive, euphoric effects of the drugs, as well as the potential for overdoses and other adverse events, the indictment says. Parks and Bilderback instructed staff to not drug-test patients, thereby intentionally avoiding the detection of signs of drug abuse and diversion and all three gave “special treatment” to friends and family of Parks and Bilderback by issuing prescriptions for controlled substances whenever desired and without any requirement to see a provider, the indictment says.

Parks and Bilderback billed for services at a higher rate - as if Parks had performed them - even though a nurse practitioner or sometimes Bilderback performed them, the indictment alleges.  Parks also failed to properly supervise nurse practitioners; he failed to review a minimum of 10% of the charts documenting the nurse practitioner’s activities and failed to stay within 75 miles by road of them while they were seeing patients, the indictment alleges.

“As we continue to combat the opioid crisis, our agency remains committed to investigating those involved in fraudulent schemes exploiting controlled substances for profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This indictment demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and uphold the integrity of healthcare providers.”

“Medical professionals have a duty to ensure that their patients’ health and safety are their primary concern,” said Diversion Program Manager Kim Daniels, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s lead for the Diversion Program in Missouri, Kansas and southern Illinois. “When they abdicate this responsibility, they put lives at stake. Diverting medications for illegitimate purposes will get DEA’s attention and we’ll be relentless in pursuing medical staff to ensure the practice ends.”

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a methamphetamine dealer to 188 months in prison.

Marcus M. Nelson, 42, of Cairo, Illinois pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of distributing methamphetamine. He admitted selling meth on two occasions to a confidential informant who told Drug Enforcement Administration agents about past purchases of multiple ounces of meth from Nelson. On July 10, 2023, Nelson sold 157 grams of meth for $1,600 to the informant at a Cape Girardeau home. On July 16, 2023, he sold 446 grams, or nearly one pound, of meth for a downpayment of $2,500 and a later payment of $700 more.

Nelson’s sentence will run consecutive to any prison sentence he receives for violating his parole on a robbery conviction. Nelson was sentenced to 140 months in prison after a 2001 conviction for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine base in the Southern District of Illinois.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a former youth hockey coach who sexually abused two boys and recorded the abuse to 75 years in prison.

James R. Lambert, 42, of Lake St. Louis, sexually abused one victim over 50 times between 2007 and 2018, starting when the victim was 6 years old. The sexual abuse occurred in St. Charles County, Missouri and in other states and foreign countries where the victim was taken by Lambert. Lambert also recorded his sexual abuse of the victim on numerous occasions.

Lambert also admitted sexually abusing a second victim in St. Charles and St. Louis counties when that victim was between 6 and 9 years old. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said Lambert displayed a “psychopathic level” of manipulation of his victims to keep them from disclosing the abuse and “true sadism” towards the children.

After the first victim came forward, an investigation discovered hundreds of files on Lambert’s electronic devices documenting his abuse of the second victim. They also found at least 1,185 files containing child sexual abuse material that Lambert obtained online.

Lambert pleaded guilty in February to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of aggravated sexual abuse.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

"On behalf of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department we want to recognize all the hard work and effort put forth by our officers and staff, specifically Detective Sergeant Rick Frauenfelder and Detective Rebecca Hurwitz,” said Lake St. Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi. “We also appreciate our federal partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office who helped us seek justice for this horrific crime.  Protecting children from those who would commit such heinous acts is one of the fundamental principles of why we, in law enforcement, serve in the criminal justice system."

“This sentencing shows the magnitude of what can happen when predators commit these types of heinous crimes that exploits the most vulnerable among us,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City, Mark Zito. “HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eradicate child exploitation and protect our children from harm.”

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 John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon caught with guns, fentanyl and crack cocaine to 150 months in prison.

After an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department led to a May 2023 court-approved search of Devion X. Gordon’s home in Wellston, Missouri, investigators found a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. They found 803 grams of fentanyl and 507 grams of cocaine base, $18,000 cash, four digital scales, two blenders with purple and white residue, boxes of plastic bags, empty blue and red capsules and two notebooks containing names, numbers, emails and dollar amounts owed and paid.

Gordon, 29, of Wellston, Missouri, pleaded guilty in March to charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Gordon is a convicted felon and is barred from possession of firearms.

The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Goeke 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU –U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man caught with over 3,000 images containing child sexual abuse material to five years in prison.

Jason M. Miller, 45, of Perryville, in Perry County, Missouri, was identified by a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigation as someone who was sharing child sexual abuse online. On Sept. 3, 2022, two files were identified, which led to the discovery of more child sexual abuse material. Investigators traced the computer to Millers’ address, and after a court-approved search of his home, Miller confessed to downloading and viewing child pornography. He said he had been doing so since he was a teenager and was addicted to it. More than 3,000 images containing child sexual abuse material were eventually found on his electronic devices.

Miller pleaded guilty in April to one count of possession of child pornography.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol 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 – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who sold fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine base to a decade in prison.

Byron Green, 29, pleaded guilty in March to eight felony counts: a fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine distribution charge, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of distribution of fentanyl. 

Green admitted that he was once part of the Guy Goolsby drug trafficking organization, which brought large quantities of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl to the St. Louis and Kansas City areas from Mexico via Texas and Florida. Green was a lower-level distributor within the organization. After Goolsby and his associates were charged and arrested, Green continued to obtain drugs from other members of the conspiracy and distributed fentanyl and meth from 2019 to 2023.

In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration identified homes in St. Louis and St. Charles counties that Green was using. During a May 11, 2023, court-approved search of the St. Louis County home, investigators recovered plastic bags containing more than 1,200 fentanyl capsules, two ounces of cocaine base, two pounds of meth, five ounces of pure fentanyl, $33,255 cash, four pistols and diamond-encrusted jewelry bought with drug proceeds: a “Big B” necklace, a bracelet and a Rolex watch. In the St. Charles County home, they found more fentanyl in powder and capsule form, pill presses used to make pills and 12 blenders used to mix drugs.

Green is one of more than three dozen people who were convicted based on investigations associated with the Goolsby drug trafficking organization. Over 120 pounds of cocaine, fentanyl, and meth, $2 million in drug proceeds and payments and dozens of firearms were seized by law enforcement during the broader investigation.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mantovani and Geoffrey S. Ogden prosecuted the case.

This prosecution 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 St. Louis, Missouri man on Monday admitted receiving drugs shipped to St. Louis and mailing out the resulting drug proceeds.

Timothy Carter, 35, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. His co-defendant, A.D. Harris, 31, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to the same charge in December. 

Both men admitted receiving drugs in the mail and mailing the proceeds of the drug sales. On Aug. 23, 2021, investigators spotted a suspicious package being mailed to an address in the 4800 block of Allemania Street in St. Louis. The package was shipped in a retail box for a microwave. Harris then took the package to Carter’s home in the 7300 block of Hampshire Drive. 

On Sept. 8, 2021, investigators spotted a microwave box being mailed from St. Louis to Texas. A court-approve search uncovered $28,500 in drug proceeds heavily wrapped inside the shell of a microwave, Carter’s plea agreement says. Fingerprints of Harris and Carter were on the microwave, the wrappings that concealed the currency, or both.
  
Investigators later identified another microwave box that was being shipped to an address associated with a Harris relative. On October 4, Harris picked up the package. When law enforcement tried to stop Harris, he fled at high speed to Carter’s house. Agents followed Harris into the garage and arrested both Harris and Carter. 

Investigators seized Harris’ vehicle, along with $11,000, several mobile devices, and a notebook with a drug ledger and receipts, including a receipt for the purchase of a microwave on Sept. 7, 2021. Agents recovered $4,000 in drug proceeds from a Harris relative and a package containing $7,000 in drug proceeds. A package in Harris’ vehicle contained 406.92 grams of fentanyl.  

Carter is scheduled to be sentenced September 30. Harris was sentenced in March to 87 months in prison.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri who was caught twice with a firearm and drugs to 100 months in prison.

Dawon Hennings, 40, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught with a 9mm handgun and methamphetamine on April 12, 2022 by Saint Louis County Police Department officers engaged in a special enforcement detail within the North County Precinct. Officers had spotted a Kia Optima without a front license plate and pulled the vehicle over.

After Hennings was indicted and a warrant was issued for his arrest, detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department saw him walking on Lookaway Drive in St. Louis County on Dec. 26, 2022. Detectives arrested Hennings and found a stolen Glock .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his pocket, as well as a baggie containing meth and another containing a small amount of a mixture of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. 

The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke 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 man pleaded guilty Monday to three felony charges and admitted shooting a sleeping acquaintance in the head in a St. Louis County, Missouri home before stealing his jewelry and drugs.

Terry W. Winebarger, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime resulting in death and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Winebarger admitted fatally shooting an acquaintance, referred to in the indictment as “J.S.,” in the head with J.S.’s 10mm Glock handgun on Feb. 18, 2023, in a home in Hanley Hills. Winebarger then stole the victim’s gun, jewelry and some methamphetamine that J.S. had bought earlier. J.S. was asleep when he was shot.

Winebarger had been picked up in Overland, Missouri, by the victim and his roommate earlier in the evening. Investigators later apprehended Winebarger leaving a bar. 

Winebarger is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2024. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Major Case Squad and the North County Police Cooperative investigated the case, with assistance from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Charles County Police Department.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri who has been accused of robbing at least three banks appeared in court Monday. 

Derrick Snulligan, 61, of Velda Village Hills, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on June 28 with bank robbery. Charging documents accuse Snulligan, also known as Derrick Jackson, of robbing a credit union in Florissant, Missouri and another in St. Louis, Missouri on June 27, as well as a credit union in Hazelwood on June 24. 

In each robbery, Snulligan handed a threatening note to a teller demanding cash, the charging documents say.

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

The FBI, the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Northwoods Police Department 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 Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who financially exploited two elderly women while committing disability fraud to 87 months in prison and ordered him to repay more than $1.1 million. 

Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, also agreed to return a house he obtained from one of the victims and will be ordered to return a total of six vehicles that he obtained from his two elderly victims. Judge Clark fined him $100,000.

Rives pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to five counts of theft of government funds in the disability fraud case. He pleaded guilty in October in the elder fraud case to one count of access device fraud and one count of fraudulently effecting transactions.

Rives admitted fraudulently receiving payments from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income Program. Rives applied in 2010, claiming to have a mental health disorder. He repeatedly pretended to be incapable of answering basic questions during interviews and evaluations. He falsely claimed to have memory problems and difficulty concentrating, following instructions and completing tasks. He claimed he had never been employed, could not drive, was unable to handle his financial affairs and had no assets. 

Rives concealed his employment in the construction and tree trimming industries, his participation in competitive mixed martial arts, his ownership of houses and vehicles, and his receipt of more than $721,692 since 2021. He now must pay the SSA $120,260.

Rives has also admitted financially exploiting two elderly women. He obtained four vehicles and checks totaling more than $855,000 from one woman for construction work on her house, most of which was never done. He also used her debit card for personal purchases for himself and his family. He executed a quit claim deed and transferred a house belonging to the other victim into his name. He moved her from her home and into a nursing home and permitted his mother to move into the home.

A nursing home administrator testified during the sentencing hearing that the victim was left at the facility with two sets of pajamas, two dresses, a pair of slippers, and a couple of sets of underwear. The victim received additional clothing purchased by the administrator and through donations obtained at the nursing home. The victim was left without “a single memento from her childhood or the international trips she made with her late husband,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry says. The memo says Rives was convicted in 2009 of another case involving the financial exploitation of the elderly and accused in a similar case in 2014.

Judge Clark ordered Rives to pay restitution of $1,042,848 in the elder fraud case.

Zella Rives, 57, admitted helping her son with the disability fraud. Austin James, a Jefferson County contractor, has also pleaded guilty and admitted aiding Rives with defrauding one of the victims. They have not yet been sentenced.

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information about disability fraud is asked to contact the SSA Office of Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271 or submit a report online at oig.ssa.gov/report. Concerns about suspected abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled should be directed to Missouri’s Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210 or online at health.mo.gov/safety/abuse/.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced Christopher Ali Pate, a man who stole mail from mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri, to 19 months in prison. 

Pate, 32, pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of mail theft. His co-defendant, Eryk Campbell, 28, pleaded guilty to the same charge in February.

Both men stole mail from multiple mailboxes in Chesterfield on Aug. 28, 2023, at the direction of Pate, before driving to a gas station in St. Louis. When a police vehicle drove onto the gas station lot, Pate and Campbell fled and refused to stop for police, throwing stolen mail out of the vehicle as they drove away.

Campbell was sentenced to six months behind bars and 16 months of supervised release.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cort VanOstran prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced an Arkansas man who exchanged nude pictures with a minor for five years to 10 years in prison. 

Joseph D. Najera, now 26, and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger when Najera sent her a friend request. The victim was 12 and told Najera her age. Najera sent the victim artwork depicting nudity, pornography and graphic violence. He had her create drawings, and his instructions about what to draw became increasingly complex and sexual. On numerous occasions, Najera told the victim to perform sex acts during video chats, and to create pornographic images and pictures. He also sent her pornographic videos. Najera exerted control over the victim, telling her she was not allowed to talk with boys at school. He had to approve her makeup, her clothes and whether she cut her hair. He also had parental controls set up on her phone to monitor her actions. They discussed meeting in person but never did.

Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.

The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Montgomery City 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 – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis woman to 24 months in prison for conspiring to defraud a COVID-19 pandemic relief program.

Jeannine Buford, 46, changed the name of an existing company to Couture Trading Inc. with the Montana Secretary of State’s Office in April of 2020. She listed herself as the company president and Porshia L. Thomas as the director, vice president, secretary and treasurer. On July 15, 2020, Thomas, with Buford’s help, completed and submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for Couture Trading. 

Buford and Thomas falsely claimed the company was an operating business located in California, had 15 employees and an average monthly payroll of $120,000. They claimed the loan would be used for salaries and business expenses and submitted fake company bank records.

The bank issued a $291,000 PPP loan on Sept. 8, 2020. Thomas then wired $10,000 to Buford and wrote her a $65,000 check. Buford spent the money on personal expenses, including food, clothes, the $14,000 deposit on a 2017 BMW X6, a $5,000 couch and other furniture and $1,855 to rent a luxury apartment in downtown St. Louis.

The bank, realizing that something was amiss, recovered $206,000 of the loan money.

“For too many Americans, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented time of financial hardship, turmoil, and suffering. But for the defendant, it constituted a lucrative opportunity to line her pockets with relief payments earmarked for struggling Americans,” a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman says. Buford’s crime was “motivated purely by greed,” the memo says.

Buford has been engaging in persistent fraud since 1999, including six felony fraud convictions for crimes including forging checks and selling counterfeit handbags, the memo says.

Buford pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud conspiracy. Thomas, now 33, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge. She has been sentenced to five years of probation. Both were ordered to repay the money.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek J. Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
 

ST. LOUIS –A man from the Slovak Republic pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief loans totaling $730,550.

Mark Ethan Jermain, 41, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. He admitted submitting three fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications from April 26, 2020, to July 16, 2021, using his prior legal name, Arsene Millogo. The PPP loans were intended to help struggling American businesses and jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money was supposed to be spent on payroll and other business expenses. 

On April 26, 2020, Jermain submitted a fraudulent $80,000 loan application for Crazyeats LLC, a company he’d established in Missouri in 2017. He falsely and fraudulently inflated the average monthly payroll he’d listed for Crazyeats. After the loan was approved, Jermain transferred the money to a Slovakian bank account. 

On May 13, 2020, Jermain submitted another fraudulent PPP loan application, this time for a company he’d set up called Unimentors LLC, in the amount of $325,275. The application contained similar false information, and the resulting loan money was also transferred to Slovakia. On Feb. 5, 2021, Jermain submitted a Second Draw PPP loan application for $325,275. After the application was approved, the money was also transferred to Slovakia. 

The loans were later forgiven because Jermain falsely claimed that he’d used all the money for payroll purposes. He actually used the money for personal purchases and other unapproved purposes.

Jermain was in the Slovak Republic when he committed his crimes. Jermain returned to the U.S. on August 17, 2023, and was arrested by FBI agents on September 7, the day he was scheduled to leave the country.

Jermain is scheduled to be sentenced January 8. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both prison and a fine.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting 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 Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a former St. Louis middle school principal to two consecutive life terms in prison for hiring a friend to kill his pregnant schoolteacher girlfriend. 

Cornelius M. Green, 42, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire in the deaths of 30-year-old Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016. 

A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March found Phillip J. Cutler, 46, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, guilty of the same charges. Judge White sentenced Cutler last week to two consecutive life terms in prison. 

During Tuesday’s hearing, Peters’ mother, Lacey Peters, said Green was supposed to be Peters’ protector but became her executioner. “All she ever did was love him,” Lacey Peters said, adding “and she loved that baby so much.”

Peters’ cousin, Dedra Peters, said “Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” and “touched the heart of anyone she came in contact with.” Peters’ death has left the “family empty and heartbroken,” she said.

Peters had miscarried before and terminated one pregnancy at Green’s urging, but was determined to keep Micah Leigh, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors. But she mistakenly believed she was the only woman in Green’s life, and that Green was divorcing his wife. Peters did not know about the multiple other women, including at least one who was also being duped by Green into believing they were building a life together. She also did not know that Green was researching ways to secretly poison Micah Lee by crushing pills and hiding them in oatmeal or yogurt. When that plan failed, Green contacted his longtime friend, Cutler, and stole money from the dance team’s fundraiser at the school where he worked, Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, to pay Cutler. 

“He literally stole from children to pay for killing his own child,” said Dr. Nicole Conaway, the principal of Mann Elementary when Peters worked there. Dr. Conaway said she had to tell Peters’ class about her murder. “I will never forget the pain in their eyes,” she said. “This trauma will follow them for the rest of their lives.” 

Green and Cutler planned the murder in a series of phone calls and Green sent Cutler a UPS package containing $2,500 cash on March 7, 2016. On March 21, Cutler arrived in St. Louis. 

Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder, giving Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment. 

On March 24, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine in St. Louis, let himself in using Green’s keys, and shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed. Green had Peters buy potatoes days before her own murder.

After Cutler confirmed that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed, Green bought a return train ticket. 

When Green got back to St. Louis, he first tried to get Peters’ mother to “check on her,” knowing what she would find, the memo says. 

“The depravity of asking a mother to go find Jocelyn’s body, knowing she was dead, can’t be matched,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said during Tuesday’s hearing.

Only after he learned that she was unavailable did he go to Peters’ apartment and call 911 to report her death. He pretended he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths, lying to police and getting Cutler and others to conceal evidence. Cutler was detained for questioning that same night, after he attempted to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene at Green’s direction. 

When told he was being detained, Cutler ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.

“The devastating actions of one depraved individual continue to impact the victims’ family, colleagues, friends and young students,” said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “We are grateful for the resources provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office to help bring closure to this heartbreaking case.”   

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case.  Former SLMPD Homicide Detective Mark Biondolino was the case agent. The case against Green was initially prosecuted by Chief Trial Attorney Marvin O. Teer, Jr. and Assistant Circuit Attorney Rob Huq in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

Victims of domestic and family violence seeking help can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or contact one of the agencies listed here: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/live-work/community/help/domestic-violence.cfm.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a woman who was caught with a gun and drugs to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay a $15,000 fine. 

Judge Schelp also ordered Charity Ward’s sentence to run consecutive to any sentence she receives for pending cases in St. Charles County Circuit Court and St. Louis County Circuit Court.

Ward, 35, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. She admitted that on Jan. 2, 2023, St. Louis County Police officers found her at a motel in Ferguson. They also found fentanyl, cocaine base, methamphetamine, $3,000 and a Glock 29 10mm semi-automatic pistol in the motel room. Ward is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm. 

Ward told officers that she sold the cocaine base to acquaintances and distributed the fentanyl to others during parties.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke 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 – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a St. Charles, Missouri man who recorded his sexual abuse of two young girls for years to 40 years in prison. 

Ronald C. Lawrence sexually abused two girls for years, starting when one was just 7 years old. He recorded that abuse and shared those images with others online. 

The victims’ mother spoke in court, saying Lawrence had destroyed their lives and violated the trust they once had in him.

Lawrence also downloaded and possessed child sexual abuse material involving other children, and Judge Pitlyk ordered him to pay restitution of $3,000 to one of those children whose identity is known. Lawrence directed a third juvenile victim that he met via social media to create and send him videos of child pornography and asked the victim and another person to send him exploitative images of their younger siblings.

Lawrence, 25, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.

The FBI, the St. Charles Police Department, the St. Charles County Police Department  and 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 man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted committing the armed robbery of a convenience store in Jefferson County in 2023.

Matthew Ortega, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted pointing a Glock handgun at the clerk of a convenience store and gas station on Hillsboro-House Springs Road in Jefferson County, Missouri and demanding money from the cash register. Ortega was wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the robbery and left on a distinctive Suzuki motorcycle. Three days later he was involved in an accident while riding the Suzuki and wearing the same helmet and hard knuckle motorcycle gloves he wore for the robbery. Police later recovered the gun he used in the robbery.

Ortega is scheduled to be sentenced September 18. Both sides have agreed to recommend 11 years in prison.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lake 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.

BENTON, Ill. – The president of a bank in southern Illinois on Thursday admitted a scheme to falsify bank records to facilitate real estate loans.

Steven Cook pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Benton to three felony counts of aiding and abetting the making of a false bank entry. Cook was the president of SouthernTrust Bank at the time, which has branches in Marion, Vienna and Goreville, Illinois. Cook was also on the bank’s board and was a member of its loan committee.

Cook admitted fraudulently facilitating three different sales of real estate to Lawler and Maze Properties LLC in 2022.

In one transaction, Cook approved a loan that funded the sale of seven commercial rental properties in Williamson and Franklin counties from Results Home Buyers 2 to Lawler and Maze, the plea agreement says. The transaction was a new purchase of real estate, not a refinance, and the buyers were not using any cash to fund the purchase. 

During an April 6, 2022, meeting with the seller and buyer, Cook and the others agreed to fraudulently make it appear as if the loan was a refinancing, however, and the bank would supply the cash to make the purchase. They agreed to backdate documents to falsely indicate the buyer purchased the properties on Feb. 1, 2022, for a falsely inflated price of $545,152. The documents also falsely indicated that the bank was refinancing 80% of that loan, with the buyers bringing 20% in cash to the sale. The real sales price for the properties was $436,122, and the buyers were not bringing any cash to the transaction.  The bank’s loan to the buyers was approved by the bank’s loan committee based upon the false information.

Results Home Buyers 2 is partially owned by former Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti, who was sentenced in May to two years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 20 hours of community service for his role in the scheme.

In August of 2022, Cook facilitated a second real estate transaction with Lawler and Maze involving four properties. Cook, Lawler and Maze and the seller agreed that the real estate contract would falsely list the sales price of $413,000 instead of the actual price of $330,400, and falsely stated that the buyer would supply $82,600 in cash.

Finally, during November of 2022, Cook facilitated an additional loan to Lawler and Maze for the purchase of a property in Marion. Bank documents falsely stated that the borrowers would supply $21,500 cash, and Cook was aware that the false loan details were presented to the bank board for approval.

“The lack of professional responsibility demonstrated by Steven Cook diminishes the faith consumers place in the banking process,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. “Financial fraud is a serious crime with serious consequences and the FBI will investigate anyone who takes advantage of their trusted position of employment for their own personal gain.”

“The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA OIG) is committed to investigating and prosecuting allegations of mortgage-related fraud, including fraud committed by officers of financial institutions who have a duty to conduct honest business,” said Korey Brinkman, Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge of FHFA OIG’s Midwest Regional Office. “We are proud to have partnered with our FBI colleagues on this case.”

Cook’s sentencing hearing has been set for September 19. His ultimate sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Lawler and Maze is owned by Justin Maze and David Lawler, who entered into a pretrial diversion program in which they acknowledged their involvement in the criminal conduct by aiding and abetting Zanotti and Cook. As a condition of pretrial diversion, Maze was required to resign from his position as Williamson County Circuit Clerk and agreed not to seek re-election to any public office. Lawler’s conduct was reported to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. 

The FBI Springfield Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. The prosecution was handled by Special Attorney Hal Goldsmith from the Eastern District of Missouri. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois was recused from the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced the man who fatally shot a pregnant St. Louis schoolteacher at the behest of her boyfriend to two consecutive terms of life in prison.

Judge White called Phillip J. Cutler’s crime the “most heinous” he had seen in his career. 

A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March found Cutler, 46, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016. 

Peters’ boyfriend, Cornelius M. Green, 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2024, to the same charges and admitted hiring Cutler, his longtime friend, to kill Peters. Peters was 31 weeks pregnant with Green’s child. Green was principal of Carr Lane Middle School and used cash stolen from the school to fund the murder.

Green, who was also involved in sexual relationships with several other women and was separated from his wife, researched ways to secretly end the pregnancy after learning that Peters was pregnant, according to a sentencing memo filed by the government. When that plan failed, he contacted Cutler, a childhood friend, and they planned the murder in a series of phone calls. 

On March 7, 2016, Green sent Cutler a UPS package containing $2,500 cash. 

On March 21, Cutler arrived in St. Louis. Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder, giving Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment.

On March 24, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine in St. Louis, let himself in using Green’s keys, and shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed.

Green ensured there would be potatoes in the residence prior to Cutler’s arrival by going shopping with Peters.

At 6:14 a.m. the next morning, Cutler confirmed to Green that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed. Green then bought his return train ticket, and Cutler then went to North Riverfront Park in St. Louis to dispose of evidence. 

Upon arriving back in St. Louis, Green got his car back from Cutler and went to Peters’ apartment, where he called 911 to report her death. He pretended he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths. Cutler was detained for questioning that same night, after he attempted to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene at Green’s direction. 

When told he was being detained, Cutler ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.

Peters’ friends and family repeatedly described her as “magic,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said in court Tuesday. Peters’ mother and aunt spoke about the impact of her death on their family. Dr. Nicole Conaway, principal at Mann Elementary School when Peters taught there, also spoke. She called Peters a “natural teacher” who was a “bright light” wherever she went and would start each school day “full of joy.” Dr. Conaway, who had to break the news of Peters’ murder to her 23 third-grade students, said little seemed to console the children or adults at Mann in the days after her death. She said she was called to Peters’ former classroom one day to find a student threatening to throw himself off a balcony in the stairwell, saying he “hated life and wanted to go be with Ms. Peters.”

Green is scheduled to be sentenced June 25. As part of the plea, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has agreed to dismiss their case against Green for the murders if he is sentenced to life in federal prison. 

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case.  Former SLMPD Detective Mark Biondolino was the case agent.

ST. LOUIS – The former IT director of a St. Louis-area university on Tuesday admitted defrauding both his employer and an IT equipment supplier in a $2.1 million fraud scheme.

Ronald Simpson, 54, of St. Peters, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud. 

As director of information technology for the university, Simpson was responsible for repairing and replacing defective IT equipment used at his employer’s multiple locations. Beginning about Nov. 29, 2018, Simpson devised a scheme to enrich himself at the expense of the University and their equipment supplier. After receiving approval to purchase hundreds of items of IT equipment by falsely claiming the equipment would be used or installed at university locations, Simpson sold that equipment to a third-party. Simpson misappropriated at least a million dollars from the university with this part of the scheme.

He also fraudulently obtained 56 items from the university’s IT supplier by falsely claiming that the equipment they originally had supplied was defective. Simpson then sold both the original equipment and the replacement gear. The supplier sent a total of $780,233 worth of replacement IT equipment to the university based on Simpson’s misrepresentations.

Simpson was paid a total of $2,188,704 for IT equipment belonging to the university and its supplier.

Simpson is scheduled to be sentenced September 17. The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.

The FBI investigated the case. Both Simpson’s former employer and the IT supplier worked extensively with law enforcement during this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Peters, Missouri on Friday admitted selling the fentanyl that killed one woman and sent another to the hospital in one day in 2019.

Zachary Hovis, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of distribution of fentanyl. Hovis admitted supplying fentanyl to a woman in the parking lot of a country club in Weldon Spring, Missouri on Nov. 16, 2019. The victim drove to a nearby businesses’ parking lot, where she was found unconscious about an hour and 15 minutes later. Despite a bystander’s attempt to aid the victim by administering naloxone, the victim died. A medical examiner later determined that the immediate cause of the victim’s death was fentanyl intoxication.

Later that day, Hovis supplied fentanyl to another person. That woman would testify that she wanted to buy oxycodone from Hovis and that Hovis said he was supplying oxycodone, Hovis’ plea agreement says. That woman later went to the hospital, believing she was overdosing. She was treated and released.

Hovis is scheduled to be sentenced October 3. Each charge is punishable by a prison term of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1 million or both prison and a fine. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Charles County Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday admitted producing child pornography involving at least eight victims.

Tracy Jenkins, 59, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted sexually abusing five children and recording the abuse. The series of videos have been circulating online since at least 2022. At this point in the investigation, three other victims have also been identified, Jenkins’ plea agreement says.

One of the victims was 6 years old when the abuse began and another was 11. Jenkins provided food, money, clothing and other items of value to some of the victims. Jenkins’ face is clearly visible in many of the videos he produced.

After the FBI’s Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit was able to determine the identity of one of the victims, they contacted the St. Louis FBI office. Agents quickly located Jenkins and conducted a court-approved search of his home, finding multiple electronic devices with thousands of files containing child pornography. They also located about 200 videos that Jenkins produced of his sexual abuse of the victims in this case, ranging in length from seconds to over one hour and 45 minutes, the plea agreement says.

Jenkins began making videos at least as early as 2013. He was present with one victim the day before the FBI searched his home.

FBI agents also found a Sarsilmaz 9mm pistol in Jenkins’ home. The gun had been stolen in St. Louis County. Jenkins is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing firearms. 

Jenkins is scheduled to be sentenced in December. At sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will ask for a sentence of 40 years, the plea agreement says.

The FBI investigated 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 County, Missouri has been accused of committing a drug robbery while armed with a machine gun. 

Walter C. Moore, 19, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, robbery and possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

A June 5 indictment accuses Moore of robbing someone engaged in the sale of controlled substances on April 25.

A motion seeking to have Moore held in jail until trial says he was armed with a Glock equipped with a “switch,” or auto sear, rendering if a fully automatic weapon. The Glock was also equipped with an extended magazine and a laser sight. 

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 possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a crime of violence charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years.

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 – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man from New York City to 61 months in prison and ordered him to repay $30,000 to victims of a bank fraud scheme.

The federal prison sentence for George Sciarrone, 54, will follow a prison sentence he is currently serving on an unrelated matter.

Sciarrone pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, six counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He admitted that sometime prior to September 28, 2022, organizers of a bank fraud scheme located outside of Missouri identified financial accounts of various Missouri residents. They then recruited Sciarrone and others to deposit counterfeit checks into those accounts and then withdraw the money. The organizers produced counterfeit drivers licenses and credit cards bearing the names of the account holders and pictures of those they had recruited.

Sciarrone admitted depositing checks in amounts from $3,800 to $4,000 into five banks by using the names of six different people between Sept. 28, 2022, and Oct. 7, 2022.

Valerie Kelly, 46, of New York City, pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, four counts of bank fraud and three counts of use of a counterfeit access device. She admitted using the identities of six people to deposit fraudulent checks ranging from $3,500 to $4,500 into five banks and attempting to cause losses of over $80,000 to more than 10 victims.

In March, Judge Autrey sentenced Kelly to 15 months in prison and ordered her to repay $69,100. 

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bridgeton Police Department, the Creve Coeur Police Department, the Florissant Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the St. Charles City Police Department and the Wentzville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who admitted committing the armed robbery of a Foot Locker in St. Louis, Missouri in 2021 to 141 months in prison. 

Demetrius Kirksey, now 35, robbed the Foot Locker at 4651 Chippewa Street in St. Louis  on Oct. 6, 2021. He pointed a handgun at the clerk before running behind the counter and stealing cash from the register. 

Kirksey pleaded guilty in January U.S. District Court in St. Louis to robbery and possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassandra Wiemken and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS –A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Thursday admitted exchanging items of value including drugs and vape cartridges with an underage girl in exchange for sexual activity.

Kody L. Willyard, 32, of Barnhart, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted providing marijuana, alcohol, vaping devices and vape cartridges to a girl when she was 14 and 15 years old in exchange for sexual activity.

The victim’s father uncovered Willyard’s crimes when he reviewed the victim’s social media and digital communications. He then contacted law enforcement. The victim told authorities that Willyard had also provided items of value to another girl in exchange for sexual acts.

At Willyard’s sentencing, scheduled for September, both Willyard’s lawyer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson will recommend 15 years in prison. The crime carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years.

The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s 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 – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced today that the United States has reached a civil settlement to resolve allegations that Dr. Nehal Modh and Modh’s company knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid.

Dr. Modh is the president and sole owner of Progressive Pain Management in Festus, Missouri.

The settlement announced today resolves allegations that Dr. Modh and PPM falsely indicated to both Medicare and Missouri Medicaid that ultrasound guidance was used on certain pain management injections, submitted false claims for payment for facet joint injections that did not meet billing substantiation requirements, and improperly coded claims for payment to receive excess reimbursement.

As part of the settlement, Dr. Modh and PPM will repay the United States $1.2 million, consisting of $600,000 in restitution doubled under the False Claims Act (FCA).  

The settlement resolves allegations brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Donna Chronister, a former employee of PPM. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.  The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Donna Chronister v. Progressive Pain Management, P.C., et al, case no. 4:19-cv-2245 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.  Chronister will receive $177,707 of the proceeds from the settlement. 

“We thank the whistleblower for her courage to bring her concerns forward,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “This settlement is an example of our important civil enforcement efforts where we work with whistleblowers to protect the public fisc.”  

"Health care fraud is a serious problem that costs taxpayers millions in wasted dollars while often depriving vulnerable beneficiaries of the care and support they need," said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "We will continue to aggressively investigate these cases in an effort to eliminate the corruption in our health care system."

This civil settlement was a result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, HHS-OIG’s Office of Investigations and Office of Audit, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted being involved in the fatal shooting of a man in University City, Missouri in 2022 because they thought he bought marijuana with counterfeit money. 

Nathaniel Brown-Shatto, 21, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of knowingly discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death.

Carlos Albert Castellanos Jr., 22, pleaded guilty June 6 to one count of conspiracy to possess one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Brown-Shatto and Castellanos both admitted involvement in a three-person marijuana conspiracy. Brown-Shatto told the others that the victim had previously purchased marijuana from him using counterfeit currency. On Feb. 19, 2022, they were together in a vehicle, selling marijuana. All were armed. When the victim contacted Brown-Shatto to buy more marijuana, the three drove to his home in the 7800 block of Birchmont Drive. Castellanos was driving, Brown-Shatto was in the passenger seat and the third man was in the rear of the vehicle.

When the victim stepped out of his home, Brown-Shatto shot him with a handgun while the third man began shooting him through the vehicle’s sunroof with an AK-style rifle, Brown-Shatto and Castellanos’ plea agreements say. Investigators later recovered a total of 22 spent cartridge casings from both weapons. Both shooters disposed of those weapons, but Castellanos kept his because he didn’t use it, the plea agreements say. 

Three days later, University City police stopped Castellanos and Brown-Shatto in a vehicle that matched the description of the one used by the shooters. Castellanos and Brown-Shatto were both armed with handguns and officers found about one pound of marijuana in a backpack in the car.

The third man, Emanuel Benito Vasquez, 21, is facing a marijuana conspiracy charge as well as charges of discharging a firearm in furtherance of the commission of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He has not yet been arrested. Charges are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Castellanos is scheduled to be sentenced in December and Brown-Shatto in November.

The case was investigated by the University City Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who shot at police and federal task force officers in 2021 to 23 years and 10 months in prison. 

On March 18, 2021, Derek D. Brown fired multiple times at police officers, including those who had been deputized as federal task force officers, who were at his sister’s home. He continued to fire through the home’s screen door and then through the closed front door. Brown eventually surrendered.

Officers were there because early that morning, Brown went to confront his wife at a house in St. Louis County. While there, Brown took his wife’s daughter’s .45-caliber pistol. Responding officers learned about the gun and that Brown had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation. Relatives told police that he would probably go to his sister’s house. 

Brown, 50, of Jennings, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of assault on a federal officer and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce 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 – Justice Department officials are meeting this week with their local, state and federal counterparts, community groups and others to discuss current and planned efforts to combat violent crime in the St. Louis area, including dozens of upcoming grant opportunities.

Officials met with community groups, law enforcement officials and others in the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program yesterday at Washington University to discuss efforts to combat violent crime, including the Violent Crime Initiative. They also discussed seminars planned for next month to help community organizations, law enforcement and others apply for over 80 funding opportunities. Today, officials are training law enforcement about tools to target complex criminal organizations.

PSN is a nationwide program to address violent crime through community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement and accountability. 

In the PSN meeting, U.S. Marshals Service Deputy Director Mark Pittella said, “Partnerships between federal, state, and local law enforcement, civic leaders, business owners, and local organizations are key to the overall success of law enforcement to reduce violent crime in our communities. The U.S. Marshals Service is committed to leveraging existing relationships and task force partnerships in St. Louis to focus on and apprehend specific fugitives who pose an immediate threat to public safety. Our goal is to provide communities with immediate relief from violent crime by combining our resources and authority with the resources and local knowledge of participating agencies.”

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Rody and others from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division also briefed the PSN group about the Violent Crime Initiative, which relies on partnerships between the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country. The VCI has already brought three highly experienced trial attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, the nation’s foremost experts in federal racketeering law, to work with prosecutors in the Eastern District of Missouri and investigative agents, analysts, and forensic experts from law enforcement agencies. 

First announced in Houston in September of 2022, the VCI model has now been expanded to St. Louis; Memphis, Tenn.; Hartford, Conn.; and Jackson, Miss.

In Houston, over 50 gang members have been indicted on charges including murder, armed robbery and drug trafficking and related crimes via more than ten separate investigations.

Rody said that although violent crime is trending downward throughout the country, it is still a chronic problem primarily driven by guns, gangs and other organized groups. 

“The Violent Crime Initiative will target the ‘worst of the worst’ violent offenders using data to focus our efforts,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said. Prosecutors and other law enforcement officials will be using tools like RICO and VICAR prosecutions to target the leaders and most violent members of the criminal organizations that are disproportionately driving violent crime in St. Louis and dismantle those organizations. “While arrests and prosecutions play a significant role in reducing violent crime, a variety of tools, like our PSN partnerships, are necessary to help the community,” she added.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franks, the PSN Coordinator and Director of Community Engagement for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, also previewed a planned collaboration to offer students in the St. Louis Public Schools in-class lessons addressing conflict resolution, decision-making, gang resistance, the justice system and possible careers.

On Tuesday, Justice Department officials are holding a training to aid local law enforcement officials in bringing cases under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) and Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) statutes. Although the cases are often more complex, lengthy and resource-intensive, RICO and VICAR allow prosecutors to address the complete picture of a criminal organization’s activities. They can provide federal jurisdiction over some crimes traditionally handled by state prosecutors and result in longer sentences for violent offenders associated with these criminal organizations. 

Next month, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs will be holding two seminars about the many financial resources that are available and how to apply. One seminar will be aimed at law enforcement, hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The other, hosted by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones’ office, will be for community organizations and other non-law enforcement groups.

There are over 80 funding opportunities, including funding for efforts to stop school violence, target crime guns, aid small and/or rural law enforcement agencies, improve outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders, buy body worn cameras, help those impacted by illicit opioids and other drugs, address rape kit backlogs, prosecute cold cases using DNA, provide forensics training, reduce law enforcement suicide, address hate crimes, stabilize adults and juveniles in crisis and reduce the injury or death of missing individuals with dementia and developmental disabilities.

The seminars are tentatively scheduled for July 9.

ST. LOUIS – A man accused of being a broker for Mexican drug cartels and 28 others have been indicted on drug and money laundering conspiracy charges in St. Louis.

Genaro Rosas-Vargas, 39, also known by other names including “Chilango,” and the 28 others were indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 24 on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Rosas-Vargas and nine others also face one count of money laundering conspiracy, and others face additional drug and firearm charges. 

Twenty-eight of the defendants have been arrested in the St. Louis area, Illinois and other states. Rosas-Vargas was arrested when he crossed the U.S. border. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested the bulk of the defendants this week.

“This long-term investigation represents a significant blow to the drug trafficking cartels trying to profit by poisoning the St. Louis community,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “It also resulted in the interception of large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and meth and the coordinated, masterful arrest of a large number of defendants in multiple states in just a few hours.”

“Mexico-based drug cartels should never be underestimated for their power and global reach,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, head of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in Eastern Missouri. "The lethality of the illegal drugs these traffickers ship into St. Louis communities demonstrates that their greed trumps any concern for the health and safety of our citizens. DEA and our partners are determined to disrupt the cartels’ supply chain and end their horrible business.”

The indictment alleges that since at least 2017, Rosas-Vargas was a Mexico-based broker who obtained fentanyl, meth and cocaine from drug cartels and had it delivered to the St. Louis area and elsewhere. Rosas-Vargas and his co-conspirators wired some drug proceeds back to Mexico and used couriers to transport bulk shipments of cash, the indictment says. 

The indictment says Javier Ramos-Garcia, 50, Jose Coronel-Coss, 28, and Theodore Sigite, 47, were large-scale drug traffickers involved in the conspiracy.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of a 2017 Jaguar F-Pace, a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, a 2003 Suzuki GSX motorcycle and more than $131,000 in cash. During the investigation, six kilograms of fentanyl, 44 kilograms of cocaine, 75 kilograms of meth and $250,000 in drug proceeds have been seized, according to a motion seeking to have Rosas-Vargas held in jail until trial.  

That motion accuses Rosas-Vargas of organizing the transport of undocumented immigrants from Mexico into the United States, who were then required to work off the $5,000 to $11,000 they owed by participating in drug trafficking operations.  Rosas-Vargas also discussed sending firearms from the U.S. to Mexico for use by the cartels, the motion 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Bridgeton Police Department and the Marion (Illinois) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dane Rennier and James Delworth are prosecuting the case.

The investigation was conducted by the St. Louis Gateway Strike Force, which is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The OCDETF strike forces are permanent, multi-agency, prosecutor-led teams that conduct intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted committing a violent carjacking in St. Louis last year.

Ahdaejay Britton, 19, of Bel-Ridge, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

At about 1:30 p.m. on May 8, the victim parked his Mazda 3 in a garage in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard. Britton admitted that he and a juvenile accomplice saw the man parking, then followed him down a stairwell, grabbed him from behind and pulled him down to the ground. While pointing a gun at the victim, Britton demanded the keys to the car, then stole the victim’s wallet and cell phone before following his accomplice to the Mazda. 

Police located the car in the 10000 block of New Halls Ferry Road and spotted the juvenile in the driver’s seat. Britton was in a nearby business. Officers found the victim’s phone and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol in the Mazda. Britton later admitted to police that he’d committed the carjacking and robbery at gunpoint. 

Britton is scheduled to be sentenced November 14. The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, consecutive to all other charges, and a maximum of life in prison.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin 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 Henry Edward Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon who threatened employees of a St. Louis, Missouri gas station with a gun to 100 months in prison.

Richard Skinner, 45, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being caught by police with a semi-automatic pistol on March 27, 2023, after a dispute with employees of a gas station in the 1100 block of South Kingshighway Boulevard in St. Louis. The employees told police Skinner threatened them with the gun during a confrontation. They restrained him after a struggle. 

Skinner has prior convictions that include a cocaine conspiracy charge, forgery and robbery, a sentencing memo says.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris 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.

ST. LOUIS – Three men have admitted robbing an armored car driver of cash and a firearm in Overland, Missouri last year.

Herman Leon Woods, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery.

Woods’ co-defendant, David C. Greenwade, 62, pleaded guilty in April to one count of robbery. Phillip Keith Smith, 65, pleaded guilty in May to one count of robbery and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

All three admitted robbing an armored car driver in the 9400 block of Midland Avenue in Overland, Missouri on April 14, 2023. The driver was making a cash drop at a store when two men wearing all black clothing, ski masks and body armor arrived in a black Jeep. One robber, who has not yet been identified, approached the driver while armed with a pistol and said, “Don’t die over this money,” their plea agreements say. The robber pointed his handgun at the driver when the driver didn’t immediately turn over his gun. After relinquishing his firearm, the driver ran into the store for help. Smith, armed with a rifle, and the unidentified robber took a bag containing $2,000 and a duffel bag containing empty bank bags.

As Smith tried to get back in the Jeep, Greenwade, who was driving, began pulling away, knocking Smith to the ground. Smith dropped his rifle and the magazine shattered, scattering bullets on the ground. Smith got in the Jeep and left the gun behind. Woods owned the Jeep and allowed it to be used for the robbery and for practice runs. Greenwade is Woods’ uncle and planned and led the robbery.

Woods is scheduled to be sentenced September 5, 2024. Greenwade is scheduled to be sentenced in July, and Smith in August. The robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. Smith’s firearm charge carries an additional, consecutive mandatory minimum seven years in prison, but is punishable by up to life in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the St. Francois County Jail that resulted in the overdose death of an inmate.

Garry W. Triplett, 37, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count of distributing of controlled substances.

Timothy L. Noll, 35, of Park Hills, Missouri, pleaded guilty on May 22, to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death.

Both men admitted involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the St. Francois County Jail. Noll arrived at the jail on July 27, 2021, and almost immediately began to try and find someone to smuggle drugs into the jail that he could then sell. After finding an intermediary, Noll instructed the intermediary to get the drugs from Triplett. This initial distribution was captured on a video call:

Noll also advised the intermediary on how to conceal the drugs in a bible.

On August 1, an intermediary dropped off the bible at the jail. The next morning, Noll was being transferred to state prison. When he discovered that he couldn’t bring the bible with him, he had staff give it to his cellmate, who died August 4 of mixed drug intoxication. The victim had 19 ng/ml of fentanyl in his bloodstream. As little as 3 ng/ml can be fatal. He had also taken methamphetamine.

On a shelf in his cell, investigators discovered a clear plastic baggie with methamphetamine residue and a King James Bible with a detached spine.

Triplett admitted providing 3 grams of both fentanyl and meth to the intermediary, and Noll admitted providing these controlled substances to his cellmate. They also acknowledged that these controlled substances caused the cellmate’s death.

Noll is scheduled to be sentenced in August, and Triplett in September. The death resulting charge carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of life and a $10 million fine.

The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS –A convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday admitted being caught by police with a stolen gun after fleeing from a carjacked vehicle.

Cedric Cross Sr., 42, pleaded guilty to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Jan. 30, 2022, he was caught by Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers while armed after jumping out of a carjacked truck. Cross was the passenger, and the driver had led police on a high-speed chase before crashing. Cross’ gun was stolen. He denied being one of two armed men who carjacked the truck earlier that evening at the intersection of Marcus Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.

In his plea agreement, Cross also disputed shooting a paramour in the Walnut Park West neighborhood of St. Louis the day before the carjacking. The victim said after an argument, Cross pulled out a gun and started shooting, hitting her four times. Ballistics evidence from the shooting matched the handgun found with Cross the next day.

Cross is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, May 28th, 2024. He also potentially faces additional prison time for violating his supervised release from a prior felon in possession case in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis. In 2017, he was sentenced there to 63 months in prison after being caught with a stolen .38-caliber revolver.

The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag 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 man from St. Louis County, Missouri has been accused in an indictment of fraudulently obtaining $620,000 in COVID-19 pandemic loans and committing a separate fraud involving disability payments.

Preston Randall, 59, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 15 with 13 felony charges: five counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of concealing information from the Social Security Administration about a payment.

On Wednesday, Randall was arrested, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The indictment says Randall applied for money from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, a Small Business Administration program intended to help struggling business owners during the pandemic. 

Between June 26, 2020, and Aug. 5, 2020, Randall filed five fraudulent loan applications using five different company names and the identities of two other people, the indictment says. The loan applications contained false information, including about gross revenue and the number of employees, the indictment says. Those fraudulent applications resulted in loans and advances totaling $620,000 that were deposited into accounts controlled by Randall, it says.

The indictment also accuses Randall of fraudulently obtaining $17,906 in Social Security Administration disability payments from March 2021 through October 2023 by concealing his receipt of the EIDL money and other resources.

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 Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting 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 Sarah E. Pitlyk on Wednesday sentenced a Pevely, Missouri man to 40 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a minor.

Matthew Gamel, 36, sexually abused the victim and recorded it on at least four occasions, he admitted in a guilty plea. The victim was under 14 years of age at the time. In addition to the recordings he made, Gamel possessed more than 1,700 media files containing child sexual abuse material that he obtained online. 

“We are pleased with today’s sentencing and appreciate the hard work and partnership with the Pevely Police Department to bring justice to the victim,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “We hope this will help with the process of healing the trauma the defendant unconscionably inflicted on a young vulnerable child.”

Gamel pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.

The Pevely 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.