Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri man on Monday admitted killing a woman while stealing her car in 2022 and shooting another woman during a carjacking a few weeks later. 

Loyse Dozier, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four felonies: carjacking resulting in death, attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Dozier admitted fatally shooting Laruth Jones while he was stealing her Mercedes CLA 250 on July 10, 2022. Jones had parked in the lot of the Raqqa Mart at 352 Chambers Road, in Riverview, in St. Louis County, and was standing near the entrance to the store when she saw Dozier, who was wearing a full-face mask, get into her car. She confronted Dozer with her gun, the two exchanged fire, and Jones was killed. Before leaving in the stolen car, Dozier got out and picked up Jones’ gun, he admitted in his plea. He later set the car on fire in a St. Louis alley.

On Aug. 1, 2022, Dozier shot another woman while trying to steal her car from a Walgreens at 1400 North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis. Dozier, who was again masked, walked onto the parking lot and opened the door of the victim’s Kia Optima. He ordered the driver out. She complied and handed her keys to Dozier. He shot her twice before getting into her car. An off-duty Florissant Police Department officer, who was working as a security guard inside the Walgreens, ran outside after the shooting, scaring Dozier away. Dozier left his phone behind in the Kia, however.

Nine days later, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted Dozier at a gas station at West Florissant and Adelaide Avenues. He ran, discarding a handgun and a bag before officers caught and arrested him, inside the bag was 5.76 grams of fentanyl. The gun was a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun that he’d stolen from Jones after shooting her. He later used it to shoot the second victim. Dozier is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm. Dozier had cocaine base in 25 plastic baggies in his pocket when he was arrested, as well as a magazine for the handgun.

Dozier is scheduled to be sentenced March 11, 2024. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 32 years in prison.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who used counterfeit identification and a fake credit card to steal a rental car to three years in prison.

Kelvin N. Ford, 32, of Dellwood, pleaded guilty in September to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. He admitted stealing an Audi Q3 SUV worth about $37,000 from Alamo Car Rental in Woodson Terrace, Missouri by using a stolen credit card number and fake identification in the name of a Connecticut resident. The driver’s license had the victim’s name, birth date and address but Ford’s picture. Ford was also using a credit card that had been encoded with the stolen credit card number. 

Ford admitted that he did not plan to return the SUV to Alamo. At the end of the rental period, Alamo discovered the fraud and reported the Audi stolen. Bridgeton police found it in their city, with Ford sitting in the driver’s seat. Officers found multiple counterfeit debit cards using other people’s names, $736 in cash, gift cards and multiple fake IDs. 

Ford also opened an account at Scott Credit Union in someone else’s name, his plea agreement says.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Woodson Terrace Police Department and the Bridgeton Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Lake St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted laundering money for methamphetamine dealers operating in the St. Louis area.

Melvin Hayes, 66, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to misprision of a felony.

Hayes admitted working on behalf of Demond Bernard McDaniels Jr., Dawaune Lamont Rhodes Jr. and others who were distributing methamphetamine. He also admitted being caught on Oct. 8, 2020, in Kansas with 45 bundles of meth weighing about 100 pounds. Hayes had picked the meth up in Colorado and was bringing it to McDaniels. He told investigators that he would be paid for the trip but didn’t tell them he shared the profits from drug sales.

Hayes made three to four additional trips bringing cash from drug sales to Los Angeles and picking up meth, his plea says.

A subsequent investigation recovered a total of $115,755 in cash associated with Rhodes and McDaniels. 

Hayes also admitted amassing assets worth about $2.6 million by using drug profits to buy real estate, vehicles and other assets and using his limousine business to hide the source of cash. 

Hayes is scheduled to be sentenced March 26, 2024. The misprision charge is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Hayes has already agreed to forfeit $250,000, which represents the approximate value of properties he bought via his money laundering activities.

Rhodes, of St. Louis, and McDaniels, of St. Charles, were each sentenced this year to 10 years in prison.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man who was caught with fentanyl, methamphetamine and two fully automatic handguns pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to three felonies Friday.

Courtlend Green, 26, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Green admitted that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives with the Mobile Reserve Unit learned that he was known to sell drugs at a supermarket in the 8300 block of North Broadway. On Jan. 3, 2023, they spotted him driving into the supermarket parking lot. Because of his history of fleeing from police, officers deployed tire deflation devices in front of Green’s Honda Crosstour before activating their lights and trying to approach Green’s car. Green sped away before crashing into another vehicle at the intersection of Broadway and Gimblin Road. Green then got out and ran. Officers caught and arrested him. 

Inside Green’s Honda, officers found two Glock handguns that were equipped with illegal “switches,” or auto sears, that converted them into fully automatic weapons. One Glock, which had been stolen, had a drum magazine and the other had an extended magazine. Green, who is a convicted felon and therefore barred from the possession of firearms, admitted both possessing the firearms and buying the Glock switches for them. Officers also found about 64 grams of meth and at least 18 grams of fentanyl. 

Green is scheduled to be sentenced March 8, 2024

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Canada pleaded guilty Friday and admitted using sleight-of-hand and other ruses to steal more than $109,000 from retailers in at least 11 states during a nearly six-month crime spree.

As part of his guilty plea to wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property, Mohsen Akbari, 38, admitted entering the U.S. on March 1, 2023 from South Korea on a visitor visa. He then traveled to Missouri, Illinois and at least 11 other states, where he would target Walmart stores and other retailers. After making a small purchase, Akbari would use a ruse to trick store employees into handing over cash. Akbari sometimes claimed that he and his family collected $100 bills and would ask the cashier to show him those from the cash register so he could examine them. Akbari would then surreptitiously place some of the bills into his sleeve or pocket.

Locally, Akbari stole a total of $2,420 from a Walmart in St. Peters, Missouri on June 12, 2023, $6,900 from a Granite City, Illinois store on June 13, $420 from an O’Fallon, Missouri store on June 14 and $900 from a store in Warrenton, Missouri the same day. He stole $580 from a Walmart in Eureka, Missouri and $5,100 from an Arnold, Missouri Walmart on June 15.

Akbari was arrested Aug. 22, 2023 in Connecticut with $5,388 in U.S. currency and 150 Australian dollars derived from the scheme. Akbari admitted stealing a total of $109,452. Authorities seized $69,864 from two of Akbari’s bank accounts. Akbari also wired some money to Canada.

Akbari is scheduled to be sentenced March 1, 2024. The wire fraud charge carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The interstate transportation of stolen property charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Eureka Police Department and the Arnold Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A sex offender from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted seeking explicit images from teens online.

James W. Rankin, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of solicitation of child pornography and one count of transfer of obscene material. Rankin admitted communicating on an anonymous chat site with multiple individuals he believed to be underage and seeking explicit pictures from them.

In January of 2023, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in California were conducting an undercover investigation into internet-facilitated child exploitation when they received a message from Rankin. Using the screen name “Lonely_Nerd,” Rankin began communicating with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. After moving the conversation to the social media application Whisper, Rankin sent her a picture of his genitals, discussed going to California to pick her up and asked for sexually explicit pictures of her. 

Rankin also admitted in his plea agreement that he possessed child pornography on his cell phone and that he’d engaged in conversations via Whisper with individuals who identified themselves as minors. In those conversations, Rankin sought more sexually explicit pictures.

Rankin was convicted of first-degree statutory rape of a minor under 14 in Greene County Circuit Court in 2021 and sentenced to five years in prison. He had been released on parole and was residing in a residential re-entry center at the time of his federal crimes. He was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and domestic assault in a 2017 Christian County, Missouri case after he engaged in sexual contact with a child under 17.

The solicitation of child pornography charge carries a penalty of at least 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years because Rankin is a prior offender. The transfer of obscene material charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s office will ask for 20 years at Rankin’s sentencing, scheduled for March 5, 2024. 

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. 

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who struck a St. Charles police officer while trying to flee was sentenced Thursday to 63 months in prison.

On July 11, 2022, officers from the St. Charles Police Department were called to a Waffle House and found Ameer Raff-Covington, now 32, passed out behind the wheel of a Mazda SUV. Officers had also been told that Raff-Covington had been involved in a dispute with a waitress earlier. Once awakened, Raff-Covington refused to get out of the SUV and provided a false date of birth and Social Security number to police. After being told he was under arrest, Raff-Covington put the SUV in reverse, striking an officer in the knee and pinning him between his car and another vehicle, according to Raff-Covington’s plea agreement. Raff-Covington also struck two vehicles and two Ameren electrical boxes. He stopped when officers held him at gunpoint. After Raff-Covington was removed from the vehicle, officers found a stolen Glock handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console.

Raff-Covington pleaded guilty in August to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man who fraudulently deposited checks stolen from St. Louis area businesses to two years in prison.

Jacob Wolf, 35, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to a felony bank fraud charge and admitted hatching a scheme to defraud banks by acquiring and depositing checks stolen from the mailboxes of St. Louis area businesses. The names of the intended recipients on the stolen checks were removed and replaced. Wolf also obtained identification documents belonging to others and posed as those other people when trying to deposit checks. Wolf tried to fraudulently deposit checks totaling $84,557, but only successfully received $11,163.76, his plea agreement says.

The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday admitted selling firearms without a license, including over 30 that were recovered at or after crimes.

Harry Trueblood, 69, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being an unlicensed firearms dealer.

As part of his plea, Trueblood admitted selling firearms to multiple customers of at least 15 gun shows from January of 2021 through May of 2023 despite never having been licensed to deal in firearms and even after being warned that he was committing a crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating Trueblood after multiple guns recovered in unrelated crimes were traced back to him as the original purchaser. Trueblood sold AR-15-type pistols and handguns to undercover ATF agents before the ATF on Feb. 1, 2023 sent him a cease and desist letter ordering him to stop dealing in firearms without a license.  Trueblood continued to sell guns, his plea agreement says.

Agents found at least 250 bills of sale reflecting firearms sales and have traced at least 30 guns recovered in connection with crimes to Trueblood.

Trueblood is scheduled to be sentenced March 4, 2024.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of coercing two underage girls to send him images containing child pornography and the statutory rape of one of the girls.

Andrew Haller, 33, was indicted on two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. 

Haller was initially charged by complaint November 14. Charging documents say the FBI received a tip about Haller in October alleging that a 15-year-old girl had met Haller online, communicated with him via Tumblr and Telegram and sent him nude pictures at his request.

A motion seeking Haller’s detention until trial and a subsequent detention order say the second alleged victim is also 15, and that Haller traveled out of state to meet her. The indictment accuses Haller of the statutory rape of that girl.

“It is common for child predators to lurk and prey where children spend time interacting with others on the internet. It is no different in the physical world,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “When it comes to online child exploitation, we need our children to know they are the victims and are not in trouble with the law so they feel comfortable telling a trusted adult.”

The FBI is asking for information relevant to the investigation of Andrew Haller or any potential victims to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

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

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri has admitted recording the sexual abuse of a toddler.

Kyle J. Gipson, 22, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday to one felony count of production of child pornography.

In March of 2023, an undercover FBI agent in an online group on the social media platform Wickr that was dedicated to discussing and trading original images of child sexual abuse learned of Gipson. The agent and Gipson began communicating on Wickr and later moved to the social media platform Telegram. Gipson sent the agent a picture of a 2-year-old girl and said he had sexually abused her, his plea agreement says. He also sent a nude picture and offered to provide access so the girl could be sexually abused, his plea says.

After a court-approved search of Gipson’s home on March 13, investigators found child sexual abuse material involving that toddler and others. They also found communications in which Gipson discussed his sexual abuse of the victim with six others on social media. Gipson was also monitor and gatekeeper for a social media group focused on child sexual abuse material, bestiality and rape.

The production of child pornography charge carries a penalty of at least 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. The U.S. Attorney’s office will ask for the maximum penalty at Gipson’s sentencing, scheduled for March 6, 2024. 

The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department Special Investigations Unit 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon from Sikeston, Missouri who pointed a gun at a police officer to 168 months in prison.

Ruben R. Ramirez, 27, pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Ramirez admitted as part of his plea that an officer with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety was responding to a reported burglary on March 8, 2023, when he spotted Ramirez walking away. Ramirez raised a silver-colored .22-caliber pistol and pointed it at the officer before dropping the gun when the officer drew his own firearm. 

In a later interview, Ramirez said he tried to fire the pistol because he wanted the officer to kill him, but his gun jammed. 

Ramirez has a prior conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in a 2021 case in New Madrid County Circuit Court. 

The Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man to 11 years and five months in prison for helping rob a St. Louis County Boost Mobile store in 2021. 

Damonta Bridges, who is a convicted felon, also admitted possessing a firearm in a carjacked vehicle.

Bridges was present at a Boost Mobile store at 12135 Bellefontaine Road on Aug. 9, 2021 when his co-defendant, Kadijah McFadden, pointed a firearm at a store employee and demanded cash. McFadden stole about $630. She and Bridges also stole mobile phones.

On Sept. 5, 2021, Bridges was a passenger in a 2017 Jeep Cherokee that McFadden had carjacked at gunpoint earlier that day. McFadden was driving. After police spotted the stolen vehicle, Bridges threw a Stoeger 9m pistol out of the window. Both McFadden and Bridges were caught by police after McFadden crashed.

Bridges, 31, pleaded guilty in August to a robbery charge and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

McFadden was sentenced in September to 15 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in December to carjacking, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Walker prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri, who was caught on camera carjacking a truck in 2020, was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of all of the charges he faced.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found James Blakemore, 36, guilty of three felonies: carjacking, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence and testimony at the trial this week showed that on Sept. 16, 2020, the victim was napping in his work truck at the Convention Center MetroLink Station in downtown St. Louis when someone opened his door and demanded his cash and phone at gunpoint. The robber also stole the victim’s company’s 2016 Dodge Ram.

The truck was equipped with a GPS tracking device and “in-car cameras,” and both the victim’s boss and the company’s owner were able to provide police with its location. When police arrived, a man jumped out and ran away, but left a backpack behind with a pistol and both a debit card and EBT card in Blakemore’s name. 

Blakemore’s picture was captured by the in-car camera video recording and his DNA was found in the truck and on the gun. The victim also identified Blakemore as the carjacker. 

At Blakemore’s sentencing in March, he faces up to 15 years in prison on the carjacking charge, up to 10 years in prison on the felon in possession charge and seven years to life in prison on the brandishing charge, consecutive to all other counts.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie Schneider and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri, was arrested Wednesday on an indictment that accuses him of selling the fentanyl that killed the buyer in May.

Jesse Charleston, 33, of Florissant, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on November 15 with three felonies: distribution of fentanyl with death resulting, distribution of fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

The indictment accuses Charleston of selling fentanyl on March 21 that proved fatal to the buyer. It also says Charleston sold fentanyl on March 27 in St. Charles County and possessed it that same day in St. Louis.

In court Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald said the victim who bought fentanyl from Charleston brought it home and fatally overdosed, along with his twin brother.

The distribution of fentanyl with death resulting charge carries a penalty of at least 20 years in prison, with a maximum term of life. The fentanyl distribution and possession with intent to distribute charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 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.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Charles County Police and St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted the armed robbery of a convenience store in Jennings in February.

Richard E. Barber, 51, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Barber admitted that on Feb. 11, 2023, he entered the Gas Mart at 9301 Lewis and Clark Boulevard wearing a face mask and a camouflage St. Louis Blues cap. After selecting a beer from the refrigerated section of the store, Barber took it to the register, pulled a pistol and pointed it at the clerk. Barber then demanded and took cash from the cash registers and left in a Chrysler Sebring. 

Early on the morning of Feb. 13, 2023, Barber wrecked the Sebring in the 800 block of North Florissant Road in Ferguson, suffering injuries that required hospitalization. A paramedic noticed a .40-caliber pistol on the car’s floorboard that resembled the one used in the robbery. Investigators later found the hat and face mask Barber wore during the robbery in his car.

At the time of the robbery, Barber was on supervised release after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2014 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 100 months in prison in that case.

Barber is scheduled to be sentenced in April. The robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The felon in possession charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and the same fine. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend a total of 20 years in prison. 

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a woman from Lake St. Louis, Missouri to 15 months in prison for stealing from her elderly, ailing uncle.

Judge Autrey also ordered Jessica Medrano, 42, to repay $79,827. Medrano pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to five felony counts of wire fraud and one felony count of access device fraud and admitted defrauding her uncle in two ways.

Medrano’s uncle, who is now 73 and suffers multiple health issues, entrusted Medrano with his debit card so she could make purchases on his behalf. Medrano instead used the card to make online and in-store purchases totaling more than $12,000 at Walmart for herself and other relatives between Jan. 21, 2022 and May 16, 2022, her plea agreement says.

Between Jan. 24, 2022 and June 6, 2022, Medrano also transferred a total of $57,950 from her uncle’s bank account to her own account via Cash App and her uncle’s debit card.

An investigation began when the victim’s bank alerted the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, according to testimony during the sentencing hearing.

In a sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry said Medrano’s “financial exploitation of vulnerable individuals and her family members has escalated” since she stole and forged two checks from her stepfather’s relative while he was hospitalized in 2009.

Medrano’s used her uncle’s debit card to buy clothing and food at Walmart, but also jewelry, electronics, candy, beer, furniture, art supplies, home décor, phone cards, cat food, cat treats, fashion accessories, dishes, warranty protection plans and party supplies, the memo says. Medrano also nearly drained her uncle’s bank account with Cash App, with her final transfer leaving $88 in an account that once exceeded $71,000.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations handled the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Dunklin County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl and recording other children in the shower.

Matthew A. Prewett, 43, of Kennett, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to a felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor. He admitted engaging in sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl beginning in April of 2022. The Kennett Police Department received notification on May 3, 2002, that the victim was at a hospital in St. Louis for a sexual assault examination after the victim’s mother found sexually suggestive text messages from Prewett on her daughter’s phone. Prewett had recorded his crimes on video.

The next day, law enforcement arrested Prewett following a traffic stop in Dunklin County. An investigation revealed that Prewett had placed hidden cameras in his home, including one in the bathroom. Prewett recorded children between ages 12 and 17 in the bathroom, while they were nude and showering.

Prewett is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 21, 2024. The sexual exploitation of a minor charge is punishable by a prison sentence ranging from the mandatory minimum of 15 years up to life in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend 20 years. 

The case was investigated by the Kennett Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter 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 – Two men caught with 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, four guns and more than $7,500 in cash were each sentenced in U.S. District Court this week to more than 10 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced Deandre Q. Brett, 26, of St. Louis, to 138 months in prison.

Judge White sentenced Robert K. Kinney, 24, of Berkeley, in St. Louis County, on Wednesday to 130 months.

Kinney originally attracted the attention of St. Louis County Police officers when he sped away from a police vehicle on July 28, 2021, passing other vehicles in the center turn lane, according to plea agreements by Kinney and Brett and court documents. After officers used a spike strip on the white Kia Forte Kinney was driving, he kept driving until the car began to slide off the road on four flat tires.

Kinney got out holding a Glock pistol with an extended capacity magazine and ran away from officers. He was arrested and police found $3,792 in cash, drugs and ammunition in a bag he carried. Brett was arrested at the Kia. Officers found a stolen Glock pistol in the car, as well as a SKS Interarms Hellpup semi-automatic rifle, an Arsenal SAM7K semi-automatic rifle and three packages containing a total of 1.3 kilograms of meth. Brett’s bag held two Glock magazines, $3,796 in cash and marijuana.   

Kinney and Brett both pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

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

ST. LOUIS – A former Potosi, Missouri police officer on Thursday admitted providing cash, vape cartridges and other items to three male minors for nude pictures or after performing sex acts on the victims.

Matthew N. Skaggs, 40, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to three felony charges: sex trafficking, solicitation of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.

In Thursday’s plea hearing, Skaggs admitted that between Jan. 1, 2022 and Aug. 10, 2022, he provided vape cartridges, alcohol, CBD and THC to a 13-year-old boy in exchange for nude pictures of the boy. Skaggs also gave the victim vape cartridges after groping him in a police vehicle at a kindergarten center while Skaggs was wearing his police uniform. Skaggs also gave the boy vape cartridges in a middle school boys’ bathroom. 

Skaggs repeatedly offered money to another boy when he was between the ages of 14 and 16 for sex, and asked for a received a picture of the boys’ genitals, his plea agreement says.

Skaggs also admitted performing a sex act on a third victim, aged 17, twice, and then providing money and alcohol to the minor. Between June 13, 202 and July 14, 2022, Skaggs paid the boy amounts ranging from $5 to $75 via Cash App. Skaggs also gave the boy cigarettes and vape pods. 

At the time of his arrest, Skaggs was attending training to become a school resource officer.

Skaggs is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 14, 2024.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of no more than 300 months in prison. The sex trafficking and coercion charges are each punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. The solicitation of child pornography charge carries a minimum five-year term and a maximum of life in prison. All also are punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

Skaggs has also agreed to forfeit electronic devices including an iPad, two cell phones and storage devices.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol 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 John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man who embezzled about $280,000 from his employer to buy a boat and make other personal purchases to a year and a day in prison.

Matthew Olinger, 40, of Florida, pleaded guilty to a felony wire fraud charge in July and admitted embezzling from his employer in two ways. Olinger worked for a seed company as an area business manager, managing field sales representatives and occasionally purchasing agricultural equipment for the seedsmen, employees who sold seeds to regional customers. 

Olinger fraudulently misused his company credit card to make at least $180,000 worth of personal purchases on hundreds of occasions, including family meals, vacations, clothing, boating expenses and personal entertainment, his plea agreement says. Olinger covered up the personal purchases by submitting fake or altered receipts to the company.

Olinger also stole company funds to help a seedman buy a 2022 Cobalt R35 boat and a trailer. Olinger authorized an employee to sign a contract with a seedman that would have misappropriated $75,000 in company funds each year for a decade, or a total of $750,000, to buy the Cobalt boat and the trailer and pay associated boating expenses. Olinger stole $100,000 in company funds by submitting three fraudulent funding requests to his employer for a “seed tender” and “seed equipment” before his scheme was discovered by the company.

The money has been repaid to the company.

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

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri man who admitted selling fentanyl and methamphetamine, fleeing from police and possessing machine guns was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison. 

U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk also ordered Marvel Sherell, 23, to be placed on supervised release for four years after his eventual release from prison. 

Sherell was the final defendant to be sentenced of five charged in the drug conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in July to three felony counts: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possessing one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a machine gun.

The investigation began after the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Sherrell was selling meth and fentanyl and used a confidential source to make drugs buys from him. 

“Like many business owners, drug trafficking organizations want to protect their business and assets,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of DEA investigations in eastern Missouri. “However, there is no similarity to legitimate businesses when dealing in illicit drugs and protecting the business includes illegal weapons. DEA is pleased this criminal enterprise is permanently closed for business."

In his plea agreement, Sherrell admitted engaging in a drug conspiracy with others including Nicholas L. Nixon, 24; Jacquez T. Love, 25; Turhan Robinson Jr., 23; and Arion D. Strickland, 29. 

Sherrell admitted selling methamphetamine and fentanyl to the DEA. He also admitted fleeing from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on May 5, 2022. After officers spotted Sherrell driving recklessly, they tried to stop his car. Sherrell sped off, even after police spike strips deflated the tires on the driver’s side of the vehicle. He ran a red light, hit another vehicle and continued to flee from police, who again used spike strips. Sherrell kept going, violating more traffic signals. During the chase, Strickland tossed a KelTec rifle out of the vehicle and Nixon discarded a Micro Draco AK-47-style pistol and 1,181 pills containing fentanyl. A fully automatic AR-15-style weapon was found after the case where Robinson had been sitting.

When deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Love at the apartment Sherrell, Nixon and Love shared in St. Louis County on May 12, 2022, they found methamphetamine and a fully automatic .40-caliber Glock handgun in Sherrell’s bedroom, along with two “switches” that convert a Glock into a machine gun. They found a pistol in both Nixon’s and Love’s bedroom and in the kitchen. They also found fentanyl and meth in the kitchen.

Nicholas L. Nixon, now 24, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Judge Pitlyk sentenced him in August to five years in prison. 

Strickland and Love pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Strickland was sentenced to six years in prison and Love to 37 months. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

ST. LOUIS – A former employee of the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday admitted stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account. 

Porcia Denise Rhodes, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud and one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. 

Rhodes, who was a mail processing clerk at the time, admitted stealing about 21 checks. Rhodes then scratched out the payee’s name and wrote in her own before depositing the checks into her personal bank account. The checks were valued at $5,035. In one example listed in Rhodes’ plea agreement, she intercepted a birthday card containing a $500 check that a Troy, Illinois woman was trying to mail to her grandson in Florida. 

Rhodes is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 12, 2024, by U.S. District Court Sarah E. Pitlyk. The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The theft charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have admitted their involvement in a 2020 carjacking in Jefferson County, Missouri that permanently injured the victim.

Matthew Carver, 31, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brandon Vandoren, 29, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty November 8 to one count of carjacking.

Both men admitted that on May 20, 2020, they arrived at a Jefferson County, Missouri MotoMart gas station and convenience store in a stolen Dodge Dart, intending to steal a vehicle. Carver was driving, and dropped off Vandoren, who got into a Saturn Aura and began driving away. The Aura’s driver, who was inside the store, ran outside and threw a Coke can at the Aura. Vandoren hit the victim with the Aura and fled. The victim nearly died due to the carjacking and has been left with permanent injuries. 

Both vehicles then fled from law enforcement. Carver ultimately crashed, fled on foot and was captured after resisting arrest, his plea says.

The next day, officers found the Aura at America’s Best Value Inn in St. Louis County. They arrested Vandoren when he answered their knock on his motel room door, and found a firearm in the room, his plea says. Vandoren is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

Carver and Vandoren are scheduled to be sentenced in February. The carjacking charge carries a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison. Carver’s felon in possession charge carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in prison.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Monday admitted dealing fentanyl and shooting a 16-year-old with a fully automatic pistol in downtown St. Louis in 2022. 

John M. Whitney Jr., 21, of Bridgeton, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

As part of his plea agreement, Whitney admitted that after someone working for the Drug Enforcement Administration bought fentanyl twice from him in April of 2022, a court-approved search of his apartment found drugs and guns. Whitney had a Glock pistol with an aftermarket “switch” or conversion device that made it fully automatic. He also possessed three AR-15-style rifles, a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, raw fentanyl in a plastic bag and capsules containing fentanyl. 

Courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Whitney also admitted in his plea that in March of 2022, he had been conducting drug sales outside a loft building on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis. After entering the lobby and heading to the elevators, he used a switch-equipped Glock handgun to fatally shoot a 16-year-old. He admitted shooting the teen but claimed the teen drew his weapon first and he acted in self-defense, the plea agreement says. Surveillance video from March 11, 2022 shows Whitney and the teen simultaneously drawing firearms and Whitney opening fire with the Glock as the teen turned towards Whitney with his pistol raised. 

Whitney then exchanged fire with the teen’s associate before both fled the building.

Whitney is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2024. The fentanyl distribution charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The firearm charge is punishable by five years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from St. Charles County, Missouri on Monday admitted soliciting sex from two  minor victims on social media.

Thomas J. Bowles, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of sex trafficking of a child, two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography. Bowles’ trial was scheduled to begin Monday. 

As part of his plea, Bowles admitted repeatedly contacting a female minor on social media from Jan. 1, 2020 to Aug. 20, 2020. Bowles used aliases which prevented the victim from finding out that Bowles is a registered sex offender. Bowles offered to become the victim’s “sugar daddy” and provide money, a cell phone and clothing in exchange for sex acts and for providing him pornographic pictures and videos, his plea agreement says. 

Bowles also communicated with a second minor via Snapchat, offering to mentor her in the modeling industry and be her “sugar daddy” and again concealing his identity. In 2020, he met the victim multiple times and gave her cash, liquor, clothing and prescription drugs in exchange for sexual contact. He also made video recordings on two occasions.

Both victims told Bowles that they were minors, his plea says.

Bowles is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Feb. 13, 2024. The government will request a sentence of 40 years in prison. The sex trafficking charge and coercion charges each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and maximum of life in prison. The production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 25 years and a maximum of 50 years in prison. The receipt of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years. Bowles’ status as a prior offender enhances the potential penalty for most of the charges.

The FBI, St. Charles County Police Department, St. Louis County Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jillian Anderson and Nathan Chapman are prosecuting the case.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU –  U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Monday sentenced a man from Sikeston, Missouri to 123 months in federal prison for a firearm offense.

Michael Ray Turner, 39,  pleaded guilty in July at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on Jan. 22, 2023, an officer with the Sikeston Police Department was attempting a traffic stop of a black Dodge Durango for failing to signal and having invalid vehicle plates. The vehicle traveled a short distance before the driver pulled over and fled on foot toward the rear of an apartment complex. After a brief chase, the officer apprehended the suspect and identified him as Michael Turner. A search of Turner's person revealed no contraband. Suspecting Turner may have concealed something, officers begin searching the area. Within minutes, an officer located a black Taurus pistol on a balcony or rooftop surface of the apartment building. Although it was lightly raining, the pistol was dry to the touch. The firearm was loaded with an extended capacity magazine containing 16 rounds of ammunition, with an additional round in the chamber. Turner's Dodge Durango was searched and an identical extended capacity magazine, also loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, was seized form the cup-holder on the driver side of the vehicle.

Turner has a previous felony conviction for second-degree robbery in New Madrid County, Missouri, and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

This case was investigated by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Thursday sentenced a man who committed three bank robberies and then shot at Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies before forcing his way into a woman’s apartment to 25 years in prison. 

Judge Perry also ordered Cameron A. Thomas, 31, of Florissant, to repay $19,262 to the banks he robbed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce said during Thursday’s hearing that Thomas’ robberies escalated in both seriousness and violence.

On Oct. 24, 2020, while dressed as a woman, Thomas handed a note to a teller at the First Community State Bank in Jefferson County that said, “put money in the bag,” 

Three days later, while Thomas was again disguised as a woman, he entered the Electro Savings Credit Union in St. Louis County, pointed a silver semiautomatic pistol at a teller and said, “Give me all your money.”

The next day, Thomas returned to the First Community State Bank wearing a red coat, black pants and a surgical mask. He said, “This is a robbery, put your hands up,” while pointing a pistol at an employee. He then put a white plastic bag on the counter and told another employee to fill it up.

Employees called police, and a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy who was in the area tried to stop Thomas after he left the bank. The resulting vehicle chase ended at the Walden Pond apartments in High Ridge. Thomas fled his vehicle on foot, firing multiple times at the deputies following him.

He then forced his way into a woman’s apartment at gunpoint. Deputies knocked at the door, and pulled the woman from the apartment when she signaled to them that something was wrong. Thomas then changed into the woman’s clothes and hid his 9mm pistol inside the apartment before his arrest. 

Thomas also admitted that on Oct. 22, 2020, he was in possession of an AK-47-style assault rifle. Police found the rifle in Thomas’ vehicle after a traffic crash. Thomas is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing firearms.

Boyce said Thursday that one of the banks that Thomas robbed was no longer allowing customers in the lobby due to security concerns.

Thomas pleaded guilty in August to two counts of armed bank robbery, bank robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

The case was investigated by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man on Thursday admitted breaking into two Jefferson County, Missouri gun shops in 2020 and stealing multiple firearms. 

Carnell Robinson, 21, of Jennings, Missouri, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee. 

On July 12, 2020 at about 1 a.m., burglars broke into Mike’s Pawn and Jewelry in Imperial, where they stole four AR-style rifles, a shotgun, ammunition and jewelry.

The next day, also at 1 a.m., they broke into Top Gun Shooting Sports near Arnold and stole two rifles and numerous boxes of ammunition. 

Robinson’s fingerprint was later found on a gun case at Mike’s.

Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Feb. 14, 2024. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. 

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have pleaded guilty to crimes that include two St. Louis County carjackings, the robbery of a convenience store and the shooting of the store clerk. 

James Furlow, 20, of St. Ann, Missouri, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of carjacking and one count each of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, robbery and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Monya Jones, 23, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty July 19 to one robbery charge and one charge of possession, brandishing and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Both men admitted in their plea agreements that Furlow carjacked a 2017 Kia Sorrento SUV at gunpoint on Dec. 26, 2021. Later that day, Furlow tried to break into an ATM by shooting it as Jones waited in the stolen Kia. Both Furlow and Jones then robbed a Quick Mart in St. Louis County. Furlow admitted shooting the store clerk in the mouth.

On Dec. 30, 2021, Furlow carjacked a 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan at gunpoint. He was later spotted by police and fled, first in the stolen SUV and later on foot. Police caught him in a basement and found a pouch nearby with a 9mm pistol, Furlow’s identification and the Tiguan’s keys.

A dating app was used to set up both carjackings.

Jones is scheduled to be sentenced November 27 and Furlow is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7, 2024.  The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of seven years, consecutive to any other charge, and the discharge count carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years, also consecutive to all other counts. 

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Wayne County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted making recordings of his sex acts with minors. 

Tony Ray Waites, 46, of Piedmont, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He admitted that in March of 2022, an 11-year-old boy reported that Waites had sexually abused him on several occasions and that he believed that Waites had filmed the abuse. A court-approved search of Waites’ home discovered electronic devices that contained videos of Waites abusing that victim, Waites’ plea says. There were also videos depicting nine other boys. Some were abused by Waites, others were filmed naked.

Waites is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6, 2024. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years. 

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.

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

 

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hannibal, Missouri who made multiple illegal pipe bombs in 2022 was sentenced Tuesday to six years in federal prison.

Joshua Eugene Rickey, 34, admitted making a series of pipe bombs using plastic and metal pipes and materials from fireworks between July 4, 2022 and Aug. 13, 2022. Rickey admitted detonating two. 

During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj said there was a progression in both the size of the bombs Rickey made and the ongoing danger those bombs presented to the community. One of the seized bombs required detonation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) because it could not be safely handled.

Courtesy of the Hannibal Police Department.

“This case illustrates ATF’s commitment in preventing attacks instead of responding to their aftermath,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen for the ATF’s Kansas City Field Division.  “The conviction and now federal sentencing of this individual demonstrates our steadfast efforts to hold accountable individuals who threaten the safety of our communities.”

Rickey pleaded guilty in July in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of manufacture of one or more unregistered destructive devices and one count of possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices. 

The ATF and the Hannibal Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted fraudulently obtaining a $150,000 loan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demetrice Black, 53, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one felony count of misuse of a Social Security number and one felony count of theft of government property. As part of his plea, he admitted applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration on July 24, 2020 using a Social Security number that was not his own and a fraudulent Missouri driver’s license. Black, who was acting with another person, transferred some of the money to a separate checking account and withdrew some of the money in cash.

The EIDL loans were intended to help business owners who had been negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Black is scheduled to be sentenced February 8, 2024. The charge of misusing a Social Security number is punishable by up to five years in prison and the theft charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Both also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man to 35 years in prison for his role in drug robberies that cost the lives of three people in St. Louis in 2021.

Demorion Little conspired with his co-defendant, Antaveon Bernard Le'Vell Kent, to steal and sell marijuana. The pair used Facebook to pick their targets and then arranged to buy marijuana from their victims. 

On Feb. 25, 2021, Little contacted Rocoby Rodgers via Facebook Messenger and asked about purchasing quarter-pound packages of marijuana. They arranged to meet in the 2300 block of Blair Avenue in St. Louis. Police found Rodgers dead in his car. That night, Little advertised on Facebook that he had marijuana for sale.

Kent and Little arranged to meet Kortlin Williams and Johnnie Jones on March 16, 2021 in the 1100 block of Montgomery Street. When the victims arrived, Kent and Little fired into their vehicle, killing Williams and Jones and injuring a third occupant.

Judge Pitlyk called Little’s conduct, ending the lives of three young men and injuring a fourth, “beyond heinous.”

“This case seems unbelievable – murder for marijuana,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "Unfortunately, DEA has learned that the type of drug or the quantity doesn’t matter when it comes to drug dealers’ motivations. They will use any means as a way to make money or protect their illegal drug operations, including threatening or using violence.”

Little, 24, pleaded guilty in August to one felony marijuana distribution conspiracy count and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of one or more firearms in furtherance of the marijuana trafficking conspiracy. 

Kent pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, attempting to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and two charges of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that resulted in the fatal shootings of Williams and Jones.

In February, Judge Pitlyk sentenced Kent, 23, of Florissant, to 26 years in prison. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a felon caught with a rifle and a pistol to 15 years in prison.

Arnell Jackson, 46, of Norwood Court, Missouri, pleaded guilty in July to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Feb. 21, 2022, police responded to reports of a man using an AR-style rifle to shoot at moving company employees working at a neighbor’s house. After a lengthy standoff, Jackson was taken into custody, and officers found an Adams Arms 5.56-caliber semi-automatic rifle and a Taurus .40-caliber pistol inside the front door of his home. Jackson has prior felony convictions, including for second-degree murder, and is barred from possessing firearms.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Goeke prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Wednesday sentenced a second man to 10 ½ years in prison for the armed robbery of a St. Louis, Missouri 7-Eleven in 2020, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Thursday.

Harvey Cameron, 33, of Ferguson, was one of two men involved in the robbery of the 7-Eleven at 5350 Chippewa Street on June 21, 2020. One of the men entered the store and pointed a Zastava AK-47-style rifle at an employee, demanding cash from the register. The pair were caught shortly after the robbery, with the cash and the gun.

Cameron pleaded guilty in July to robbery, possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The other man, Monte Kent, 35, pleaded guilty to the robbery and the firearm brandishing charges and was sentenced to 10 ½ years in prison in March of 2022.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.

ST. LOUIS – A former police officer in Woodson Terrace, Missouri on Thursday admitted kicking a man who was on the ground and being held at gunpoint by another officer.

David W. Maas, 57, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a charge of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the victim’s right to be free from the use of unreasonable force. 

Maas admitted that on April 14, 2019, he and officers from other agencies were pursuing a car stolen in an armed robbery in Bridgeton. The officers were told that a weapon had been implied but not displayed by the robber. Maas was on-duty and in full police uniform and in a marked police vehicle.

That pursuit traveled through St. Ann, Breckenridge Hills, St. John, unincorporated north St. Louis County, Bel-Nor, Greendale and Pagedale before terminating on Oak Grove Avenue in Wellston. The robber got out of the passenger side of the stolen car on Oak Grove Avenue and ran away. He was later caught.

The driver, referred to in court only by his initials, “I.F.,” turned back onto Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and struck a St. Ann police vehicle. A Pagedale officer immediately ran up to the passenger side of the car and ordered I.F. at gunpoint to get out of the car with his hands in the air and to get on the ground. 

While I.F. was on the ground, Maas ran up to him, stepped over him and then kicked him in the forehead, causing swelling and pain.

The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Maas is scheduled to be sentenced January 23, 2024.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man on Wednesday admitted setting a fire in his ex-girlfriend’s St. Louis County home while she, her daughter and her aunt all slept.

Christopher Willis, 39, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. Willis admitted entering his ex-girlfriend’s home on Nero Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County early on the morning of April 29, 2023. He also admitted in his guilty plea that he set fire to some of her clothing in the basement of the home.

Willis’ ex-girlfriend awoke to the sound of a fire alarm and was able to safely escape with her child and her aunt, according to court documents.

As part of the plea agreement, both prosecutors and Willis’ lawyer have agreed to recommend a five-year prison sentence. Willis is scheduled to be sentenced January 30.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Emergency responders from the Black Jack Fire Protection District, the Spanish Lake Fire Protection District, the Florissant Fire Protection District, the Metro-North Fire Protection District and the Ferguson Fire Department all responded to the scene. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man who helped at least 20 people file fraudulent pandemic loan applications that reaped $666,656 to a prison term of 57 months and ordered him to repay the money.

Jacob Eldridge, 45, of St. Louis, solicited at least 20 friends and acquaintances to file fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans from at least Jan. 1, 2021 to Jan. 13, 2022. Eldridge often drafted and submitted fraudulent applications on behalf of those people. On at least 10 applications, Eldridge included entirely fictitious or substantially inflated gross annual income figures to max out the loans. He often also submitted bogus IRS forms on behalf of the businesses. 

In exchange for his help, many of the applicants paid Eldridge at least ten percent of the loan proceeds, totaling about $50,000.

The loans were intended to help struggling business owners and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman said Eldridge used the “darkest days” of the pandemic, when Americans were suffering, “to line his pockets.” 

Judge Ross echoed that, tell Eldridge, “We were in a desperate situation… and you took advantage of it.” 

Eldridge pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of wire fraud.

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

ST. LOUIS –Four people have been indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and accused of fraudulently registering vehicles in Missouri, including three former employees of driver license offices.

Gary Wilds, 46, Megan Leone, 40, Michelle Boyer, 51, and Ashlyn Graeff, 38, were each indicted by a grand jury October 25 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Wilds was also indicted on four counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of making a false statement. Leone also faces four counts of wire fraud and two counts of making a false statement. Boyer faces five counts of wire fraud and Graeff faces five counts of wire fraud and four counts of making a false statement.

Wilds was arrested and appeared in court Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Boyer, Graeff and Leone worked for contract license offices, the indictment says. The indictment accuses Wilds of paying them up to $100 for each vehicle that they fraudulently registered via their access to Missouri Department of Revenue computers. Wilds provided his customers’ names, license plate numbers, VIN number and motor vehicle title number and the employees falsely represented in the DOR database that they had verified emissions inspections, safety inspections, the payment of personal property taxes and proof of insurance, the indictment says. Wilds is also accused of using forged and fraudulent forms seeking an exemption for Missouri businesses seeking to register trucks weighing more than 24,000 pounds or trailers. Wilds would keep the sales taxes that vehicle owners had paid him, the indictment says, as well as a nominal fee that he charged owners for handling the paperwork.

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 conspiracy and wire fraud charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The charge of making a false statement carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Each aggravated identity theft charge is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge.

The case was investigated by the Missouri Department of Revenue and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri man on Monday admitted stealing a home from one elderly woman and fraudulently accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from another.

Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of access device fraud and one count of fraudulently effecting transactions. Rives admitted exploiting two elderly victims, M.P. and A.B., from Jan. 1, 2017 through Oct. 17, 2023.

Rives admitted during his guilty plea that he approached M.P., an 87-year-old widow, sometime in 2017, and offered to clean her gutters. He then began to perform various repairs for her and shop for her. M.P. gave Rives her husband’s car in gratitude for his help but denied otherwise compensating him. In July of 2017, a quit claim deed was executed, transferring M.P.’s home to Rives for $1. He moved her into his mother’s home. Rives put M.P. in a nursing home in January of 2023, then began renting her home to his mother. He falsely claimed to nursing home staff that he had power of attorney for M.P. to manage her financial affairs, Rives’ plea says. 

Rives’ other victim, 80-year-old A.B., hired Rives sometime before Jan. 17, 2021 to repair her roof for $7,500. After Rives falsely claimed to be a licensed contractor, A.B. hired him to renovate the interior of her house. The one-bedroom, one-bath, 1,100 square-foot home was worth no more than $135,000 in 2021. From March 2018 through 2022, however, Rives received checks totaling $387,600 that were purportedly for home repair. He received another $112,300 through 2023 via checks that were designated for purposes other than home repair or did not list a purpose. Another roughly $151,500 went to four people who were also purportedly doing home repairs. One of those people told investigators that he’d performed some kitchen repairs and then cashed eight of A.B.’s checks, giving the proceeds to Rives who then gave a portion back to the worker.

A St. Louis building inspector estimated the value of repairs at no more than $50,000. There was no indication that promised structural work had been done.

Rives also obtained four vehicles that had been purchased by his elderly victim: a 2020 Dodge Challenger, a 2016 Ford Mustang, a 2017 GMC Sierra and a 2016 Mercedes 350, the plea says.

Rives obtained and used the victim’s debit card to make purchases for himself and relatives, including $2,147.85 in airline tickets for a trip to Phoenix between April 2, 2023 and April 4, 2023. A.B. died in April.

In the plea agreement, Rives has agreed to the forfeiture of the four vehicles that once belonged to A.B., as well as M.P.’s house, a 1978 Ford Fairmont and a 2006 Corvette.

Each charge is punishable up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Rives will also be ordered to repay the money.

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 concerns about suspected abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled should contact Missouri’s Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri woman to 54 months in prison for running a chop shop and ordered her to pay $41,196 in restitution.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles over a seven-month period in or near the warehouse where Heather Marty, now 29, was living. Marty admitted in a guilty plea in May that the warehouse, in the 2900 block of North Jefferson Avenue, was being used to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles.

Police found three stolen motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, some in various stages of disassembly. On Jan. 29, 2022, Marty was spotted at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in a 2014 Dodge Ram that had been stolen 23 days earlier. A detective found nine license plates inside the truck, two of which belonged to stolen vehicles. In the week before her arrest, Marty had been in the area of four thefts and one attempted theft of catalytic converters, as well as four burglaries and an auto theft.

Marty pleaded guilty in May to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle and one count of operating a chop shop.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday admitted supplying the fentanyl that killed a 19-year-old in Jefferson County, Missouri, in 2022.

William Edward Martin, 23, is the final of four defendants in the case. Martin pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four felonies: conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl with a resulting death, distribution of fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Martin now faces at least 20 years and up to life in prison for the fatal distribution charge alone when he is sentenced January 26. 

Martin admitted that on June 23, 2022, he met the victim in the parking lot of a Walgreens in Arnold, Missouri. She got into the car he was driving, a black BMW, and a short time after he provided her with fentanyl, he took the victim out of his car and placed her in the backseat of her own vehicle. The incident was captured on video, and the victim appeared incapacitated and in medical distress. 

She was found dead early the next morning by her father, who had been searching for her after she failed to come home. 

Martin would later admit in a text message that, “I could’ve called 911 or could brought her to the hospital… there’s so many things I could’ve done to save her and now she’s dead.”

During the investigation of her death, Arnold police spotted the BMW, which sped off. Police later caught the BMW, and the driver, Tanisha Payne, said she’d dropped Martin off at a gas station. Officers found a safe inside the car that contained fentanyl, hallucinogens, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia. They caught Martin behind a supermarket with a loaded pistol. 

Steven “Lemon” Littler, 34, and Jacqueline Williamson, 34, admitted supplying fentanyl to Martin and Payne. Littler had been selling the drug to Martin for several months, Martin’s plea says. Littler also warned Martin of the potency of his fentanyl, calling it “deadly strong” and “dangerous,” the plea says. 

In his plea agreement, Martin admitted selling fentanyl to others.

When Williamson was arrested at her home in St. Louis, investigators found both fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as paraphernalia for packaging the drugs for sale. Payne, now 23, also had fentanyl and drug paraphernalia when she was arrested.

Littler was sentenced to 210 months in prison earlier this year. Williamson, who pleaded guilty to a fentanyl distribution charge, and Payne, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, have not yet been sentenced.

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Arnold Police Department, The U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Louis County Police Department.

ST. LOUIS –A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted manufacturing and selling fake temporary vehicle license tags, fake dealer plates and bogus insurance identification cards.

Mario C. Cooks, 35, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three felony counts of fraudulent transfer of an authentication feature. He admitted producing and selling 329 fake temporary tags and 27 fake insurance cards as well as dealer license plates. According to Cooks, he sold the fake temporary tags for $60 each and the fake dealer plates for $650 each.

The investigation began when the St. Charles Police Department learned that Cooks was selling fake temporary tags and dealer license plates. In June of 2022, an undercover officer arranged to buy a counterfeit temporary tag from Cooks for $60, Cooks’ plea says. In subsequent transactions, Cooks sold the officer two counterfeit motor vehicle insurance identification cards and two more counterfeit temporary tags. 

In a court-approved search of Cooks’ home on Dec. 15, 2022, investigators found computer equipment, a printer, two counterfeit motor vehicle insurance identification cards, blank sheets of temporary Missouri Department of Revenue paper with authentication features, counterfeit temporary tags, fraudulent Missouri dealer license plates and blank stock check paper, Cooks’ plea agreement says. A forensic analysis of the computer equipment revealed Cooks’ history of producing hundreds of fake tags. 

The plea says that those who are trying to hide their possession of a stolen vehicle or dodge their financial obligations as vehicle owners often purchase fake temporary tags and other documents.

Cooks is scheduled to be sentenced January 25. He could face up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine.

The case was investigated by the St. Charles Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Secret Service and the Missouri Department of Revenue.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A nonprofit official was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of stealing millions of dollars from a program intended to feed low-income Missouri children, including during the coronavirus pandemic.

Connie Bobo, 44, of St. Charles, Missouri, was indicted on three felony counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of obstruction of an official proceeding. Bobo is the executive director of New Heights Community Resource Center, which accepted money to provide meals to low-income, school-age children after school and during the summer.

The indictment accuses Bobo and New Heights of fraudulently claiming to have served at least three million meals to children between February 2019 and March 2022 – meals that New Heights neither actually purchased nor supplied. Relying on those false claims, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) paid Bobo about $11 million, the indictment says.

Bobo used $4.3 million to purchase a nearly $1 million home for herself, other homes for relatives and to make a $2.2 million commercial real estate investment, the indictment says. She spent more on luxury goods and gave nearly $1.4 million to her romantic partner, who spent $211,907 on a 2017 Mercedes-Benz G550 Wagon, the indictment says. The indictment seeks the forfeiture of the real estate and the SUV.

“This indictment shows that we will aggressively pursue those who defraud a program intended to feed needy children, and those who exploited loopholes created by a global pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “We will seize the houses and luxury vehicles that they buy with those funds and we will seek punishment that is appropriate for the scale of the crime, which by law includes repayment of the funds. Anyone with information about COVID-19 related fraud should contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.”

New Heights and other non-profits are required by DHSS’ Food and Nutrition Program for Children to demonstrate proper management standards and ensure fiscal responsibility. They have to submit budgets and annual management plans to DHSS and are required to have a board that meets regularly and has the authority to hire and fire the executive director.

The indictment says Bobo submitted false management plans and falsely claimed that three people were serving on New Heights board. It says she submitted budgets that left out the money she was spending on real estate and luxury goods. The indictment also accuses Bobo of forging an invoice from a food vendor to falsely claim that New Heights had purchased hundreds of gallons of milk.

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 investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.

ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man to life in prison for selling the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Florissant, Missouri man in 2018.

Wyland Kinney, 50, of St. Louis County, was convicted by a jury in May distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in death, two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Kinney sold the victim, who had been battling heroin addiction and had just been in the hospital for treatment, heroin and fentanyl at 2:30 p.m. on August 16, 2018. The victim was living with his grandmother, who found him dead at about 8 p.m. An autopsy and toxicology results showed that the quantity of heroin and fentanyl individually was enough to kill him. 

During the subsequent investigation of the death, officers had a confidential informant purchase a mix of fentanyl and ketamine twice from Kinney, on October 11 and 12. A court-approved search of Kinney’s home found six handguns, five shotguns, two rifles, an AK-style pistol, ammunition and $6,443 in cash. They also found text messages regarding drug sales on his phone.

“Everyone is well aware illegal drugs can harm the people who find themselves dependent on these substances,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "But families are also victims of the terrible criminal activity of drug dealing, as the grandmother of Kenney’s victim must know. The powerful narcotics available today destroy lives and families. DEA makes it a priority to ensure the destruction is shared by the dealers by putting them in prison.”

The case was investigated by the Florissant Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Bateman and Tiffany Becker are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday found a man guilty of drug trafficking charges that included a 2019 murder.

Freeman Whitfield IV, 29, was found guilty of seven felonies: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, heroin and cocaine; knowingly possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, causing the death of Antonio Boyd through premeditated murder; knowingly possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Whitfield was “an enforcer for a large drug conspiracy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mantovani told jurors in closing arguments. Whitfield, a convicted felon, was caught with body armor and firearms, and used multiple phones to conduct drug sales, Mantovani said. The organization brought drugs from Houston and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to the St. Louis area. A Drug Enforcement Administration investigation that started in 2018 eventually resulted in the seizure of more than $1.5 million in drug payments, as well as 25 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 kilograms of heroin, luxury vehicles, watches and guns. 

Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Boyd, who distributed drugs for Whitfield's supplier and co-conspirator, Guy R. Goolsby, was arrested on March 21, 2018. When Whitfield heard rumors that Boyd might be cooperating with investigators, “he decided to kill him for it,” Mantovani said. Boyd was fatally shot Dec. 9, 2019, outside a home in the 2500 block of West Palm Street in St. Louis. Another man was also shot and wounded.

In a related DEA investigation, Whitfield sold fentanyl to an undercover officer in March and July of 2020. Investigators also watched as Whitfield sold drugs to others. During a court-approved search of one of Whitfield’s homes, in Maryland Heights, on May 4, 2021, they found Whitfield with an AK-style pistol, ammunition and other firearms. A second home he maintained in St. Louis contained an AR-15-style pistol, a Glock pistol, thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor, a police scanner, cash, six cell phones, digital scales and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl.

Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The trial started last week. Whitfield is scheduled to be sentenced in January. Goolsby was sentenced in 2020 to 151 months in prison. 

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Charles County Police Department and the Bridgeton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys John Mantovani and Geoff Ogden are handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former “Basketball Wives” reality show cast member and St. Louis, Missouri area radio personality to four years in prison for committing $564,000 worth of frauds, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud and three separate pandemic fraud schemes.

Brittish Cierrah Williams, 33, pleaded guilty in May to 15 felonies: five counts of misuse of a Social Security number, four counts of bank fraud, three counts of making false statements to the IRS and three counts of wire fraud. 

Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke called Williams’ conduct part of a roughly decade-long series of frauds during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing. Her crimes continued after she was initially contacted and interviewed by federal agents and even after she was indicted, Klocke said. 

Judge Autrey told Williams, “You knew what you were doing. You knew it was wrong and you did it anyway.” Williams will be on supervised release for five years after her release from prison and Judge Autrey ordered her to pay $564,069 in restitution. 

“The defendant launched a scheme that led to a variety of financial crimes including tax fraud, bank fraud, COVID loan fraud and identity theft,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Murdock, St. Louis Field Office.  “Ms. Williams displayed a blatant disregard for the victims of her deceit. Financial crimes of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Brittish Williams was getting paid to portray her celebrity lifestyle on “Basketball Wives” when in fact she was a typical fraudster,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “After today’s sentencing, her reality is now a life of a felon.”

“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold accountable those who intentionally misuse Social Security numbers for their own personal gain,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.  “Ms. Williams’ criminal actions brought financial harm upon individuals, businesses, and government programs, damages the integrity of Social Security numbers. I thank the FBI and the IRS-CI for their investigative efforts, and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke for prosecuting this case.”

In her plea agreement, Williams admitted under-reporting her income on tax returns for 2017-2019 and falsely claiming a niece and nephew as dependents, thereby avoiding $29,366 in tax.

She fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks. When she failed to pay on the accounts, victim companies lost $28,537.

Williams also used those Social Security numbers to open bank accounts and commit bank fraud. She deposited thousands of dollars’ worth of checks taken from other peoples’ accounts without their knowledge and then withdrew the money, causing another $23,850 in losses.

Williams admitted submitting nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, intended to help struggling business during the pandemic. The applications contained false information about business income and payroll, as well as her criminal history. She used the $144,400 that resulted from two of the applications to fund her personal lifestyle, her plea agreement says. 

Williams also received $52,647 from four Paycheck Protection Program loans.

After her indictment, Williams on Jan. 3, 2022, applied for the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program, falsely claiming that she was a state resident with a total annual household income of $50,000 and that she couldn’t pay her rent due to a “Reduction in hours of work” due to the pandemic, her plea agreement says. She received $27,801. She had stopped paying rent in July of 2021 and she failed to disclose that her $3,803 rent was more than reimbursed by a $4,000 payment from the network that produces “Basketball Wives LA.” Her work hours and pay were not reduced by the pandemic.

Williams submitted fake medical bills to at least one insurance company, resulting in $139,479.92 paid to her, co-conspirators or both.

Finally, Williams has not filed annual tax returns since her indictment in October of 2021. She listed herself as “exempt” on a form with her radio station employer resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary, her plea says. Williams is no longer employed by the station.

The total known actual and intended losses from all the frauds and schemes, including the relevant conduct listed in the plea agreement, is $564,069.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration and the FBI.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke is handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man from Riverview, Missouri to 125 months in prison for the armed robbery of the Steak ‘N Shake where he once worked and ordered him to pay $3,715 in restitution. 

Jonathan Davis, 24, was found guilty at a June trial of two felonies: robbery and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Evidence and testimony showed that on Jan. 23, 2021, at about 12:30 a.m., Davis walked to the back office of the Steak ‘N Shake at 9550 Natural Bridge Road in Berkeley and robbed the owner of cash at gunpoint. 

Davis had worked at the restaurant until about two months before the robbery. After the robbery, Davis went on a five-day spending spree, paying his rent, buying an iPhone, buying a diamond ring for his girlfriend, paying her cell phone bill and giving her cash. He also lost $1,000 to a scammer while trying to buy a car online.

The Berkeley Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Michael Hayes are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a chiropractor from Jefferson County, Missouri to four years in prison and ordered her to repay $16.4 million lost to disability fraud, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Friday. 

Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, now 61, of Fenton, was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration, 10 counts of health care fraud and two counts of theft of money from the United States.

Carbone-Hobbs and her husband, Thomas G. Hobbs, are co-owners of Power-Med Inc., a chiropractic clinic in Arnold, Missouri. The couple, some of their employees and others conspired with each other and others to fraudulently obtain disability payments for patients. In exchange for upfront fees of thousands of dollars, Carbone-Hobbs, Hobbs and others would coach patients on how to pretend to be unable to work and unable to lift objects, sit, stand and walk. Patients had to pay hundreds of dollars for annual appointments to keep qualifying for disability payments. 

Carbone-Hobbs was also billing insurance companies for services that were not provided.

Hobbs, 65, pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge and admitted conspiring to commit the crimes of health care fraud, making false statements, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud. He was sentenced in September to four years in prison and ordered to repay $4.3 million. 

The cases were investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Berry, Dorothy McMurtry, Diane Klocke and Gwendolyn Carroll are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who suspects fraud involving the Disability Insurance Benefit Program is asked to contact the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General Hotline at: 1-800-269-0271 or https://oig.ssa.gov/report/.