Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri to 15 months in prison and ordered him to repay $47,397 he’d stolen via two fraud schemes.

Dominique Lowery, 32, is the third person involved in multiple, connected frauds to be sentenced in the case.

In April, Judge Clark sentenced Christopher Tatum, 37, of St. Louis County, to 51 months in prison and ordered him to repay $103,481. In January, Monique Howard, 39, of St. Louis, was sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to repay $115,267.

Each admitted participating in bank fraud, a scheme to defraud a pandemic loan program, or both.

In March of 2019, Tatum, through his business, Final Lap Auto Center LLC, claimed to be offering to sell a 2014 Audi Q7 to Lowery and Howard. Lowery and Howard knew that Tatum didn’t own the vehicle, but applied for and received motor vehicle loans from credit unions. Tatum provided lenders a counterfeit motor vehicle title, with a forged signature of the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue, and fraudulent buyer’s orders. 

Howard received a $18,600 loan from St. Louis Community Credit Union and a $18,540 loan from First Financial Federal Credit Union. Lowery received a $26,500 loan from Scott Credit Union. Lowery and Howard knew that the loans would not be secured with the Audi and knew they would not be repaying the loan and interest as promised. In exchange for their participation, Tatum paid both Lowery and Howard kickbacks from the proceeds of the illegal loans.

Howard also received two fraudulent loans for a 2015 Maserati. She made no payments and the car was eventually repossessed, creating a total loss of $74,000. 

On April 26, 2021, Lowery submitted a fraudulent application for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, a pandemic-era program intended to help save jobs. Lowery falsely claimed that he operated a sole proprietorship that generated gross income of $104,196 in 2019. Lowery received $20,833. The loan was forgiven after Lowery falsely claimed that he used $17,389 of the illegally obtained loan proceeds on payroll costs. He actually used it for personal expenses.

On March 30, 2021, Tatum submitted a PPP loan application falsely claiming to be an independent contractor and lying about his business income. He received a total of $39,778.

Lowery pleaded guilty in March to two felonies: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and access device fraud. Tatum pleaded guilty to four: conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud. Howard pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge, bank fraud and mail fraud.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Missouri Department of Revenue.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted fraudulently receiving more than $42,000 from two pandemic loans and unemployment compensation that included more pandemic funds. 

Charles Carbon III, 37, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to two felonies: bank fraud and wire fraud. 

On June 26, 2020, Carbon applied for and received a $10,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which was supposed to help business owners struggling with pandemic-related business losses. In his plea agreement, he admitted lying about the existence and purpose of a business he claimed to own, as well as the payroll, revenue and number of employees.

On Aug. 6, 2020 Carbon fraudulently applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, again lying about the existence, purpose and finances of a business. Carbon received a $18,800 loan, which was supposed to be used for business owners to save jobs during the pandemic. 

Carbon then falsely claimed to be a self-employed event planner who did not have any work between March and August of 2020, and received $14,174.80 in unemployment benefits. That included $300 per week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. In paperwork, Carbon lied about work he did in March and omitted the pandemic loans that he’d received, his plea says.

As part of his plea, Carbon also admitted using four forged checks totaling $12,322.

The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The wire fraud charge carries a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Nineteen members of a Charleston, Missouri-based drug trafficking organization accused of being the main supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl to southeast Missouri have been indicted on a felony drug conspiracy charge, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Friday.

Arrests by federal, state and local law enforcement began Thursday, followed by arraignments in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau. 

“As someone who grew up in Charleston, I can tell you that this case perfectly illustrates that drugs are not just a big city problem,” U.S. Attorney Fleming said. “Drugs, and the often-violent criminals who sell them, are a plague on otherwise law-abiding communities, big or small. This drug trafficking organization was the main supplier of methamphetamine and fentanyl in southeast Missouri, as you can see in the court records. I want to reassure the southeast Missouri community that this case is and will remain a priority for my office.”

All 19 defendants face a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including Demarcus P. Turner and Jadarius A. McCain. 

Motions seeking to have Turner, McCain and three other defendants jailed until trial say that Turner and McCain were leaders of the drug trafficking conspiracy and also led a Charleston gang, “Just Bout Money,” or JBM. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been seized during the investigation, as well as about 65 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.55 kilograms of cocaine, 653.9 grams of fentanyl, 215 grams of MDMA and 5.85 kilograms of marijuana, the motion says. 

The group received drugs in the mail and via couriers who flew or drove to their sources of supply, including Georgia-based co-defendant Damien Davenport, the motion says. Couriers were repeatedly intercepted with dozens of pounds of drugs in suitcases, it says.

The detention motion says JBM members have been linked to shootings in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, including a Feb. 19, 2022 JBM-hosted party where two people were fatally shot and 14 others injured.

McCain pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday. Turner is currently in state custody facing one felony count of second-degree murder and 15 counts of first-degree assault related to a July 2022 shooting in Sikeston, the motions say.  

“The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force are dedicated and committed to removing illicit drugs from our communities,” said Roger L. Phillips, director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control. “The JBM drug trafficking organization has devastated our communities for years by flooding them with pounds and pounds of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine.  In addition to the harmful effects these drugs cause to their users, violence is often associated with these drug sales.  This investigation has led to indictments not only in Missouri, but in multiple other states. We are proud of the efforts put forth by all the participating agencies, stand committed to protecting our citizens, and will continue to combat drugs being sold in our communities.”

"Drug trafficking organizations like this one are spider webs of illegal activity with connections across the country," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, lead of Drug Enforcement Administration investigations in Eastern Missouri. "DEA takes particular interest in dismantling and destroying them – from street level dealers and up the chain. It takes the combined efforts of multiple DEA offices and our federal, state and local partners to do this, but the effort is worth it to ensure these illegal drug operations cannot harm communities any longer."

“In addition to Missouri, members of this drug trafficking organization were also arrested in Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The success of this case is a prime example of the effective partnerships between the local, state, and federal levels. Local and state agencies have the eyes and ears on the ground to develop information which often leads to an initial investigation. While at the federal level, we expand investigations nationwide or worldwide when needed to dismantle an entire enterprise.”

“The organized drug distribution ring, known as the JBM or Just Bout Money gang, has been a cause of concern for the safety and well-being of the good citizens in Charleston,” said Mississippi County Sheriff Britton H. Ferrell. “The collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies in this operation demonstrates a commitment to dismantling such networks that endanger lives and contribute to harming our community.”

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 case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Department of Public Safety, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Cape Girardeau Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton 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 – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man from Wentzville, Missouri who robbed a White Castle twice and shot an employee to 20 years in prison.

On June 22, 2022, Matthew Sabir, now 38, demanded “all the $20 and $50 bills” from an employee of the White Castle restaurant at 7380 Olive Boulevard in University City before placing a black semi-automatic pistol on the countertop, according to his plea agreement. Sabir left with about $180 in cash. 

The next day, after a failed robbery of the BP gas station at 4403 North Hanley Road in Berkeley, Sabir returned to the White Castle, his plea says. He told store employees, “Give me money. Don’t move. Don’t run,” and pointed a pistol at them. The employees ran, and Sabir opened fire, hitting a 16-year-old female employee multiple times.  

The shooting victim spoke at Sabir’s sentencing Thursday, saying that she is still suffering the aftereffects of her injuries.

Sabir pleaded guilty March 1 to three felonies: robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The firearm charges carry a mandatory minimum prison term, consecutive to any other charge.

The case was investigated by the University City Police Department, the Berkeley Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane prosecuted the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon from Poplar Bluff, Missouri who was caught with two guns to 40 months in prison.

Judge Limbaugh ordered the prison sentence for Tina Marie Litvinchyk, 31, to run consecutive to a 10-year prison sentence she is serving for two drug charges in Butler County Circuit Court.

Litvinchyk pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. She admitted that on June 8, 2022, Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officers found two .380-caliber pistols in a locked safe, as well as two bags of marijuana and a digital scale. One of the pistols had been stolen less than three weeks earlier in Carter County, Missouri.

Litvinchyk has three prior felony drug convictions and is barred from possession of a firearm. She was on parole at the time of her arrest.

The case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and the Poplar Bluff Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who stole a bag of cash at gunpoint from workers servicing an ATM in St. Louis County, Missouri to 121 months in prison.

Mark Anthony Diggs, now 21, robbed two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022 as they were servicing an ATM machine at a Vantage Credit Union. Diggs emerged from the back seat of a white Kia Optima, armed with a fully-automatic Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm and demanded that an employee throw him a bag of cash. The robbery was captured on video.

Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in April to one robbery charge and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Diggs’ driver, Gregreonia Hampton, pleaded guilty in May to one count of aiding and abetting a robbery. She is scheduled to be sentenced August 23.

The St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who used fake social media accounts to bait people into sending him sexual images to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Christopher D. Gruebbel, then 37, pleaded guilty in February to one count of possession of child pornography and admitted being caught with child pornography by probation officers.

Gruebbel was on supervised release at the time because in 2013, he was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography. Part of his sentence included a provision that after his release from prison, he would be on supervised release for life. 

On multiple occasions in 2021, Gruebbel’s probation officer was unable to find him at his approved residence, later learning that Gruebbel had been evicted and was living with his mother without permission.

Probation officers then discovered that Gruebbel was in possession of multiple electronic devices without permission, including a laptop, a cell phone, an iPad and an iPod. 

A total of 50 images and 14 videos containing child pornography were found on the iPad, as well as 251 images and 117 videos that contained exploitative and/or suspected child pornography on Gruebbel’s electronic devices.

An analysis of the devices also showed that Gruebbel was using fake social media accounts and posing as a young female named “Hannah” to bait people into sending nude pictures and videos of themselves, his plea agreement says. Gruebbel also participated in chat rooms devoted to “baiting” others into providing sexual images.

After his release from the new prison term, Gruebbel will be on supervised release for life.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Friday sentenced a convicted felon from Jefferson County, Missouri who was caught twice with guns to seven years, four months in prison.

The charges against Kentrez Robinson, now 31, of Festus, stem from two incidents in 2020. 

On Aug. 11, 2020, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department surveillance cameras alerted officers that a silver Pontiac Solstice was driving down Natural Bridge Avenue bearing a license plate belonging to a Chevy truck. Officers were also aware that a silver Pontiac Solstice had recently been reported stolen. 

Detectives found the Solstice, parked and unoccupied, in the 1100 block of St. Louis Avenue, and then saw Robinson, who is a convicted felon, removing items from the car. Robinson had a loaded 9mm Beretta pistol in his pocket, along with fentanyl in two plastic bags.

On Oct. 5, 2020, a man reported being robbed of a gun and money on the parking lot of a market in the 3900 block of South Broadway. The vehicle driven by the robber was spotted by a license plate recognition camera near Page Boulevard and Walton Avenue and officers tried to pull it over. Robinson, who was driving, sped away, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals, and eventually reached speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h. on Interstate 70. After he left the interstate, Robinson’s vehicle hit a curb, flattening a front tire. But he kept going onto Interstate 55. Police were later able to disable the vehicle with a tire deflation device in the 5100 block of Vermont Avenue. Robinson got out and ran, climbing over at least two fences before he was arrested. He was caught with a satchel carrying the stolen gun and another pistol, as well as fentanyl.

Robinson pleaded guilty in December to two felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.   

ST. LOUIS – Four people were indicted Wednesday in connection with the fatal robbery of a St. Louis, Missouri restaurant owner in May.

Ronnie Adam Foster, 23, of St. Louis, Mekayla Johann, 20, Larob Harris, 24, and Shonyea Jones, 24, were each indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on four felonies: conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, discharge of a firearm and discharge of a firearm resulting in death.

Jones is scheduled to appear in court Thursday. Foster is in jail facing unrelated pending charges. On July 3, Harris and Johann pleaded not guilty to charges filed in a June 30 criminal complaint.

The indictment says the robbery occurred on May 30 at the St. Louis Kitchen, 819 Kingshighway Boulevard. During the robbery, a gun was discharged, causing the death of “F.P.,” the indictment says.

The criminal complaint against Harris and Johann, an employee of the restaurant, says the restaurant owner was fatally shot and another employee was shot in the leg but survived. Both had just left the restaurant after locking up for the night. After the shooting, someone took a backpack containing cash proceeds from the restaurant, the complaint says.

The complaint says a June 30 search recovered a Glock 23 pistol used in the robbery and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm “consistent with” the murder weapon.

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 robbery conspiracy and robbery charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The discharge of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The discharge of a firearm resulting in death charge carries a penalty of life in prison or the death sentence.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who possessed more than 63,000 images and videos containing child pornography to 10 years in federal prison.

Judge White also ordered Christopher D. Cotton, 33, to pay $66,000 in restitution to known victims who appeared in Cotton’s collection.

In letters to the court, victims wrote about the pain that defendants like Cotton continue to cause them and the fear that they will be recognized by someone who has seen the pictures. 

One who uses the pseudonym Andy wrote, “My sexual abuse occurred from the ages of 6-12. During this time my victimization was documented and shared across the country, and is continuously being shared.”

“I feel that every single criminal that is found with mine or another child’s images should be held accountable for the highest amount possible to help us victims repair our lives,” Andy wrote.

The parents of another wrote, “Aside from the horrible truth that my daughter was horrifically abused from the ages of four to seven and her innocence was literally stolen, one of the ongoing concerns that plagues my child is that literally any person she meets on the street (or any teenage boy in her class) might have seen photos of her being cruelly debased and abused.”

The victims are notified when their photos are found in the possession of a defendant. One victim said 22,000 notifications had been received in her case. Another wrote, “Each victim notification envelope represents someone who sexually enjoys seeing me hurt…. When a market exists for child pornography, it will continue. I am constantly victimized, knowing the awful truth that I can never escape these photos.”

“I am so angry that the images are out there and can’t be taken down. I feel like the images will always be out there. I think I am too broken to be fixed,” another wrote.

Cotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of receiving child pornography and admitted uploading files containing child pornography to Dropbox. That triggered a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and sparked an investigation.

On July 13, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a court-approved search warrant at Cotton’s home in St. Louis County near Florissant. Cotton admitted both viewing and collecting child pornography. He also told officers that he’d received child pornography from “maybe fifteen or more” minors with whom he had contact via social media, the youngest of which Cotton said was 13 years old.

Investigators would later find a total of at least 16,677 images and 46,414 videos of child pornography stored online and on Cotton’s electronic devices, including a laptop and three cell phones.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.  

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

ST. LOUIS– A man from St. Louis, Missouri who fled from police with drugs and a gun pleaded guilty Tuesday to three federal felonies.

Anthony B. Jones, 29, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

On July 18, 2021, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in O’Fallon Park spotted Jones, who was wearing a mask and appeared to be carrying a gun. The officers made a U-turn, at which point Jones ran across the road and hid behind a car before running away. Police found a .223-caliber, CBC Industries AR-style pistol with a brass catcher and a large-capacity magazine in the car. Jones had left the car door open, his plea agreement says.

Jones then dropped a messenger-style bag that contained a baggie of fentanyl and 46 capsules containing fentanyl. Police ultimately had to use a Taser to take Jones into custody, his plea says.

On October 8, 2021, St. Louis police saw Jones accelerate and run a red light in the College Hill neighborhood. Jones, who was in a gray Pontiac Grand Prix, refused to stop and instead accelerated to a high speed after police activated their lights and siren. Officers used a spike strip to deflate Jones’ rear tires, but he drove another three miles before bailing out of the car on College Avenue and running into the backyard of a home.

Officers found Jones crouching in a small stairwell at the back of the house. He was holding a pistol with a large-capacity magazine raised in the direction from which he expected the police to approach, but dropped it when several officers simultaneously converged on the area, his plea agreement says. He also had a satchel containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Jones told officers that he ran the red light because he saw the police and was concerned that the Grand Prix had been stolen. 

At his sentencing in October, both prosecutors and Jones’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison. The gun charge carries a mandatory minimum term of five years consecutive to any other sentence.

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

ST. LOUIS– A man accused of a fatal hit and run in St. Louis appeared in court Monday after being arrested on a federal gun charge.

Martez D. Lindsey, 31, was indicted June 14 on one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A motion seeking to have him held in jail until trial says police found the gun in April while investigating a November 22, 2022 hit and run and while conducting a court-approved search of his home. It also says “Lindsey continued joyriding through downtown St. Louis in a reckless manner” after the November incident. 

Lindsey pleaded not guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Monday.

Lindsey is currently facing charges in St. Louis Circuit Court of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and unlawful possession of a firearm.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Friday sentenced a man from Ballwin, Missouri who engaged in sexual contact with underage girls he’d approached on Snapchat to nine years and two months in prison for distributing images of minors.
 
Luke Edward Nicozisin, 22, will also have to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison. The terms of that supervised release will include severe restrictions on his use of computers and access to the internet.

“The conduct in this case is abhorrent,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman during the hearing, describing Nicozisin as a “sexual predator.” Nicozisin reached out to underage girls on Snapchat, and then turned the conversations sexual with those who responded, Bateman said. 

In his plea agreement, Nicozisin admitted sending nude images of himself to three 15-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl, soliciting nude pictures of a 15-year-old and having sexual contact with two 15-year-old girls. He also recorded videos of the sex acts with one of the teens. 

One of Nicozisin’s victims reported him to a school resource officer in July of 2021, triggering Nicozisin’s initial arrest and prompting others to come forward. Investigators would later find an iPhone with pictures and videos of Nicozisin with one of the victims as well as condoms that depicted Nicozisin’s Instagram account.

Nicozisin pleaded guilty in March to one count of distribution of child pornography.

The FBI, the Manchester Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman 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 – A woman pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday and admitted fraudulently applying for a $167,999 Payroll Protection Program loan during the coronavirus pandemic for a Poplar Bluff, Missouri business that she did not run or own.

Maxine Michelle Burns, 44, of Willow Springs in Howell County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Burns admitted applying for a PPP loan from the Small Business Administration on Jan. 20, 2021 using the name of the owner of a residential treatment facility in Poplar Bluff without authorization, as well as the owner’s signature stamp. The loan was granted, and Burns admitted using the money to buy vehicles for herself and pay for vacations.

On Sept. 16, 2021, Burns then applied to the SBA for forgiveness of the PPP loan, falsely claiming that the money had been used for payroll and other permissible purposes. Her application was granted and the loan was forgiven.

At her sentencing, set for September 28, Burns faces up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. She will also be ordered to repay the money and has already agreed to do so.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former youth hockey coach was arrested Thursday on federal charges that include accusations that he produced child pornography involving two juveniles and possessed child pornography of multiple other currently unidentified juveniles.

James R. Lambert , 41, of Lake St. Louis, was indicted June 28 on two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of transporting minors across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

The indictment accuses Lambert of inducing two minors into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then filming it. It also says Lambert took a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity and that he received child pornography online. 

Lambert is also facing charges in St. Charles County Circuit Court of statutory sodomy and child molestation and charges of statutory sodomy and sexual exploitation of a child in St. Louis County Circuit Court. He was in jail on those charges at the time of his arrest on the federal case.

Anyone with information regarding possible additional victims is asked to contact the Lake St. Louis Police Department by calling 636-625-8018 or emailing policetips@lakesaintlouis.com.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson 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 Riverview, Missouri was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday of the armed robbery of the Steak ‘N Shake where he once worked. 

Jonathan Davis, 24, was found guilty of two felonies at the end of the third day of his trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis: robbery and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On Jan. 23, 2021, at about 12:30 a.m., a man walked directly to the back office of the Steak ‘N Shake restaurant at 9550 Natural Bridge Road in Berkeley and demanded cash from the owner at gunpoint. The owner identified Davis as the robber, according to court testimony. Davis had worked at the restaurant until about two months before the robbery.

Evidence and testimony showed that Davis had been evicted from his home and was living in an extended-stay hotel at the time of the robbery. Later on the day of the robbery, Davis began 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, according to testimony. He also lost $1,000 to a scammer while trying to buy a car online.

Davis will be sentenced later this year. 

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a Dunklin County, Missouri man to two years in federal prison for selling a device that can convert a Glock pistol into a machine gun.

On Oct. 12, 2022, Cole Johnathan Campbell, now 22, of Kennett, Missouri, sold an auto sear, also known as a “Glock switch,” to a confidential informant working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The auto sear converts a semi-automatic Glock pistol into a fully automatic firearm. Glock switches alone, even if not attached to a firearm, are defined as a machine gun under federal law.

Campbell said he had removed the device from his own gun, knew it worked and had a video of it in operation. He also offered to sell more of the devices, his plea agreement says.

Campbell pleaded guilty in March to one felony count of unlawfully transferring a machine gun.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri has been indicted on an arson charge and accused of setting fires at a hotel after being fired. 

Ramona Cook, 25, was indicted May 10 and arrested and pleaded not guilty Wednesday. She is due in court Friday for a hearing that will determine whether she is jailed until trial.

The indictment says that on Dec. 22, 2022, Cook maliciously damaged by means of fire the Marriott St. Louis Airport hotel at 10700 Pear Tree Drive.

A motion seeking to have Cook held in jail says that she was fired that day for being intoxicated at work. She returned shortly after being escorted out of the hotel by police and set multiple fires in the hotel, the motion says, displacing the occupants of more than 400 rooms.

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 arson charge carries a penalty of 5 years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday admitted defrauding her 96-year-old great-grandmother. 

Alexis Butler, 35, waived her right to indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark to one felony count of bank fraud. Butler admitted that sometime before Dec. 2, 2022, she obtained the personal identifying information of her great-grandmother, as well as her account information at St. Louis Community Credit Union. She then obtained online access to the account.

On Dec. 2, 2022, she transferred $2,000 to someone else. The next day, she opened an account for herself at the credit union and began transferring her great-grandmother’s money to her account. Butler admitted as part of her guilty plea that from Dec. 2, 2022 to Jan. 19, 2023, she fraudulently withdrew $26,700 from her great-grandmother’s account. Butler re-deposited $7,500 into the account on January 6, however.

Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of three years in prison for Butler, and she will be ordered to repay the money.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Pagedale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a man who committed arsons in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and assaulted a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer to 12 and one-half years in prison.

Judge Limbaugh also ordered Lucas G. Henson, 37, of Iron County, Missouri, to pay the U.S. Forest Service about $7,200 for the cost of fighting the fires he set.

Henson was out on bond after being charged with stealing and drug offenses when he stole a Ford van on Oct. 22, 2022 near Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Henson abandoned the van when it ran out of gas. Later that day, he broke into a camper and stole items from it. The next day, he stole a Dodge pickup truck, then burglarized someone’s home and stole a Ruger LC9 9mm handgun. He stole a crossbow from a workshop near the home.

When the truck’s owner found Henson, Henson pointed the pistol at the truck’s owner and drove away. Law enforcement officers then joined the chase.

Henson crashed the truck in Mark Twain National Forest, then started a fire and burned the handgun and the items that he’d stolen from the camper before fleeing into the forest.

Officers began tracking Henson with dogs. When they got close, he started a fire to prevent being captured. He started a second fire when they approached him again. Later, he pointed the crossbow at a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer, as well as other officers, before fleeing again. Henson was eventually caught near the Black River.

The fires burned a total of 7.61 acres of land. Due to the dry and windy conditions at the time, Henson’s fires kept leaping over fire lines established by fire fighters. Crews eventually had to construct “dozer lines” to contain the fire.

Henson pleaded guilty in March to assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Farmington, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing and selling methamphetamine.

Charles J. Crawford, 53, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On Sept. 5, 2019, Crawford sold about an ounce of nearly pure methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for $250. Officers then observed multiple vehicles coming and going from Crawford’s home, indicating drug sales were occurring. A subsequent court-approved search of Crawford’s home early the next morning found nearly three more ounces of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and two firearms.

The possession with intent charge carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years in light of the significant quantity of drugs involved. Both sides have agreed to recommend 100 months in prison when Crawford is sentenced.

The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Mineral Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri has been accused of using a Molotov cocktail to firebomb a St. Louis home last year.

Marcus Reece, 31, was indicted in April on one felony count of damaging or destroying a building by fire and one felony count of possession of an unregistered destructive device. He was arrested June 22 and on Tuesday ordered held in jail until trial. 

The indictment accuses Reece of possession of a Molotov cocktail on March 19, 2022 and attempting to damage or destroy a home in the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue on the same date. A motion seeking to detain Reece in jail says he threw Molotov cocktails at the victim’s home after a dispute over a parking space.

Reece pleaded not guilty June 22 to both charges. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The damaging by fire charge is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both, and the unregistered destructive device charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – A married couple from Jefferson County, Missouri on Tuesday pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted possessing and sharing child pornography with each other.

David John Dohrman, 52, and Jacquelin Michelle Dohrman, 48, each pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry to a felony charge of possession of child pornography.

The investigation began when David Dohrman sent a video containing child sexual abuse material to his wife on Oct. 1, 2020, resulting in a tip from Facebook to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A St. Louis County Police Department detective followed up and obtained a court-approved search warrant for the Dohrman’s home. David Dohrman admitted sending the video to his wife and admitted searching for and downloading child pornography, his plea agreement says. Investigators uncovered child pornography on cell phones belonging to the couple, as well as chats containing more child pornography and a discussion of a young girl they’d seen in a restaurant. 

The Dohrmans are scheduled to be sentenced October 5. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both.

The St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office 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 corrections officer at the St. Louis Justice Center has been indicted on a civil rights charge and accused of assaulting a handcuffed detainee in March. 

Direll Alexander, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law. The indictment says Alexander violated the detainee’s Constitutional right to be free from unreasonable force. It says that on March 6, 2023, Alexander assaulted and injured the detainee while he was restrained in handcuffs and while he did not pose any threat to Alexander.

“Jail employees are required by the Constitution to protect the rights of people in their custody and are barred from using excessive force on detainees,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “We take allegations of civil rights violations very seriously.”

Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division said, “The FBI prioritizes investigations of civil rights violations, which include the use of excessive force by sworn law enforcement officers.”

Alexander made his first appearance in court Friday, pleading not guilty to the charge. 

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 charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hazelwood, Missouri was indicted Wednesday on charges connected to the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old at a Cool Valley gas station in January.

Christopher “Face” Hall, 22, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, joining Bryant “BJ” Pirtle, who was indicted in March. Each now faces four felonies: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
 
The indictment accuses them of aiding and abetting one another in discharging a firearm while involved in a drug conspiracy, causing the Jan. 29, 2023 death of Devon Williams.

A detention motion says Hall and Pirtle shot the 18-year-old at about 3:15 a.m. after he tried to buy marijuana from them at the BP gas station at 1790 South Florissant Road. They then ran Williams over while driving away, the motion says. The shooting was caught on video. 

Hall is currently in jail on pending charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court involving a March 2023 shooting. 

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 case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the Normandy Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nino Przulj and Jen Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught with an AR-15-style rifle in St. Louis, Missouri after someone shot at a police officer in Illinois to eight years in prison.

Ryan Fleming, 31, of Belleville, Illinois, was first spotted early in the morning of Sept. 24, 2021 by a Washington Park police officer responding to a call for shots fired. During the resulting pursuit, someone in Fleming’s car fired repeatedly at the officer’s car, court filings say. Less than 90 minutes later, the Hyundai Sonata involved in the shooting was spotted and pursued by Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers. Fleming, who was driving at speeds reaching 100 m.p.h. on Interstate 70, crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to exit in downtown St. Louis. He got out with a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 semi-automatic rifle but dropped it and ran. He was arrested nearby after a foot chase. 

Fleming was found guilty by a federal jury in February of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Fleming has prior convictions in Illinois including drug possession and two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Illinois State Police.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah. E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a University City, Missouri man to five years in prison for fraudulently obtaining a $135,000 pandemic loan and defrauding the Missouri Medicaid program out of $1.2 million.

Judge Pitlyk also ordered Deandre D. Horne to repay $1,474,338, representing the Medicaid losses as well as repayment to the Small Business Administration for multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans.

In July of 2020, Horne falsely claimed to be the sole owner of Budget Towing & Recovery LLC to apply for a PPP loan, which was intended to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Horne also inflated the number of employees and falsely claimed a monthly payroll of $40,000. He received a $135,707 loan.

Horne did own Serenity Home Health Care CDS, and between July 6, 2017 and March 18, 2021, he fraudulently billed Missouri Medicaid for services that were not supported by valid timesheets or electronic visit verification (EVV) documents. Horne created false EVV documentation to support the bills. Horne also admitted falsely claiming to be the personal care attendant for multiple Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries, billing for times when he was traveling elsewhere in the country or to foreign locations.

“DeAndre Horne was actually vacationing in Paris, Chile, Japan, Brussels, Punta Cana, Portugal and Jamaica on the days he claimed to be physically providing home health services in St. Louis,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI’s St. Louis Division. “Medicaid, which is funded by taxpayers, paid him $1.2 million for services his company claimed, but never rendered.”

"By falsely claiming funds from federal health care programs and pandemic relief measures, this individual took valuable resources away from their intended recipients during a time when many Americans were hurting and needed that support," said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "As this case demonstrates, HHS-OIG will not hesitate to hold accountable those who attempt to illicitly profit off of public health programs."

Horne pleaded guilty in February to one count of health care fraud and one count of wire fraud.

The case was investigated by the Missouri Attorney General’s office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Reiter is prosecuting the case.   

CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that Deon R. Crittenden, 32, of Memphis, Tennessee, has been sentenced to serve 100 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Crittenden appeared for his sentencing hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.

The charges arose after an officer with the Cape Girardeau Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near a Cape Girardeau hospital in April 2022. Crittenden, who was a passenger in the vehicle, jumped out and ran inside the hospital with a red backpack, according to court documents. Officers found him hiding in a restroom a short time later. The red backpack was in a trashcan in that same restroom, and contained a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and marijuana, court documents say.  Crittenden had previously been convicted of several felony offenses in the State of Tennessee, including aggravated assault and robbery.     

After serving his 100-month sentence, Crittenden will be placed on supervised release for a period of four years.  This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri accused of coercing minors into sending him nude pictures has been ordered held in jail until trial. 

Tristin M. Davis, 26, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 24 on three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor and three counts of receiving child pornography. The indictment accuses him of coercing three minors, in New York, Tennessee and Connecticut, into engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce images. Davis pleaded not guilty to the charges June 8.

On Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Padmore Mensah ordered Davis detained until trial. In addition to the federal charges, Judge Mensah cited pending statutory sodomy charges in Lincoln County Circuit Court and St. Charles County Circuit Court and accusations that Davis has sexually abused four minors.

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 St. Charles County Police 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 Indiana appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday on a federal charge accusing him of temporarily blinding pilots of a Metro Air Support Unit helicopter in February.

Jason Foster, 47, was indicted March 8 on one count of aiming a laser at an aircraft, and arrested May 31 in Indiana. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Tuesday.

Foster’s indictment says the incident occurred on February 21. A court filing says the pilots were actively involved in an investigation at the time, and the laser temporarily blinded them.

David Gammil, 44, was also indicted in March, and accused of pointing a laser at the helicopter on February 23. He has also pleaded not guilty.

The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

Lasers can blind pilots, and aviation authorities say the incidents are on the rise, with almost 9,500 reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022. 

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 case was investigated by the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.   

ST. LOUIS – A man from Seattle, Washington on Thursday admitted buying 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web.

Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, 28, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark to one count each of conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs, selling counterfeit drugs and using a fictitious name on mail to commit a crime.

Verbowski admitted using cryptocurrency and cash from October 2019 to August 30, 2021 to buy bulk quantities of counterfeit generic alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, and other prescription pills and resell them. Verbowski’s source bought drug ingredients from China and used a pill press and stamps to mimic the pill markings used by manufacturers licensed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The supplier then shipped the pills to post office boxes Verbowski opened using aliases.

The transactions were conducted using the dark web.

The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, the counterfeit drugs charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the mail charge carries a maximum 20-year term. All are also subject to a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a former construction company owner to 18 months in prison and a $100,000 fine for committing fraud to qualify for tax abatements designed to encourage minority-owned businesses in St. Louis.

Brian Kowert Sr. “engaged in an elaborate ‘pass through’ fraud scheme where he used an elderly Black contractor solely to pass company checks through to the non-minority subcontractors who Kowert hired to do the actual work and supply the actual materials on the project,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Kowert also knew what he was doing was wrong, as he committed a similar Minority Business Enterprise fraud 17 years ago, Goldsmith wrote. 

Kowert was co-owner and chief operating officer of Clayton, Missouri-based HBD Construction Inc. at the time, and was acting as the project manager for the renovation and redevelopment of a building for Greater Goods LLC on Chouteau Avenue in St. Louis. Kowert and Charles Kirkwood, the owner of Midwestern Construction, a company that was a Minority Business Enterprise, agreed to falsely list Kirkwood’s company as providing materials and performing work on the project. Kirkwood’s participation allowed the project to satisfy St. Louis requirements for 25% participation by MBEs to qualify for a 10-year tax abatement.

The MBE participation requirements seek to address historical social and economic disadvantages experienced by minority group members and to reduce minority-based barriers to and foster participation by minority-owned businesses in city contract opportunities.

Kowert issued duplicate subcontracts to Kirkwood’s company for work that was performed and materials that were supplied by two other non-MBE companies.  Kowert also issued a duplicate HBD purchase order to Kirkwood’s company for materials provided by a third non-MBE company. Kowert submitted a false chart of projected costs for the redevelopment project to the St. Louis Development Corporation, the city agency charged with reviewing, approving and recommending tax abatements.  The chart falsely listed Kirkwood’s MBE company as providing labor and materials valued at approximately $198,000 on the Greater Goods redevelopment project and concealed the involvement of the three non-MBE companies.

Beginning on August 4, 2020, Kowert caused 14 HBD checks worth a total of about $220,000 to be issued to Kirkwood’s company for the work performed and materials provided by the three non-MBE companies.  Kirkwood deposited those checks into his company bank account and then issued checks to the three non-MBE companies, at Kowert’s direction. 

Kirkwood was paid approximately $2,000 by Kowert for his role in the criminal scheme.

Kowert and HBD then caused a false application for tax abatement on behalf of the Greater Goods redevelopment project to be submitted to the St. Louis Development Corporation.  The application falsely represented that Kirkwood’s MBE company had performed about $224,361 in project costs, comprising about 6 ½ % of the required 25% MBE participation in the project. 

Greater Goods and its employees had no knowledge of Kowert’s scheme. His actions cost the company, which donates a significant share of its sales revenues to charities, a tax abatement of approximately $400,000 over ten years. As a result, the company was not able to carry out various projects and meet certain charitable goals, Goldsmith wrote in the memo.

The scheme also had consequences for the MBE program.

“Mr. Kowert’s actions have harmed SLDC, undermined the City of St. Louis’ MBE Program, and caused substantial injury to the duly certified and struggling minority-owned firms in the St. Louis region,” Neal Richardson, president and CEO of SLDC, wrote in a letter to Judge Autrey.

Kowert pleaded guilty in January to two counts of wire fraud. 

The case was investigated by the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri admitted hiding a camera in a bathroom that captured images and videos of girls.

Dennis J. Naumann, 55, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count each of attempted production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography. 
 
Naumann admitted uploading at least 50 videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox. He also admitted possessing videos and still images of underage girls that he had produced by hiding a video camera in a bathroom. Naumann shared images or videos he produced with the camera with two others, his plea agreement says.

At his sentencing, Naumann faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for the attempted production charge and at least five years in prison for the receipt charge. 

The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force, the St. Charles County Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant United States 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 woman from St. Louis, Missouri who was repeatedly caught with stolen vehicles pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday.

As part of her guilty plea, Heather Marty, 28, admitted that she was living in a warehouse in the 2900 block of North Jefferson Avenue that was being used to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles over a seven-month period in or near the building, including three motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, Marty’s plea agreement says.

On Oct. 30, 2021, police found a stolen 2007 Yamaha motorcycle in front of the warehouse. Marty refused to allow police inside the building.

On Nov. 18, 2021, officers noticed a stolen 2009 Ford Ranger parked in front of the warehouse, with a 2004 Ford F-450 nearby that had been stolen that morning. Inside the building, they found more stolen vehicles in various stages of disassembly: a 2009 Pontiac G6, a 2006 Ford F-350, a 2000 Ford Excursion, a 2011 Dodge Ram and a 2016 Honda motorcycle, the plea says. 

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. She was arrested. Inside the truck, a detective found nine license plates, two of which belonged to stolen vehicles. 

An investigation revealed that 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.

On June 20, 2022, Marty was caught at the warehouse in a pickup that had a stolen 2022 KTM Duke motorcycle in the truck bed.

On July 13, 2022, a detective found one stolen truck and two stolen cars in the warehouse that were being disassembled.

Marty pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle and one count of operating a chop shop.

At her September 19 sentencing, Marty faces up to 10 years in prison for the stolen vehicle charge and up to 15 years in prison on the chop shop charge, a $250,000 fine for each count, or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to pay restitution to victims.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced a former longtime deputy state juvenile officer to seven years in prison for engaging in illegal sex acts with a 15-year-old who was living in an Illinois group home.

Judge Fleissig also ordered Scott F. Burow, 63, to pay $7,500 in restitution to his victim and $5,000 to a fund that helps victims of child pornography and child trafficking. 

Burow met the juvenile on an online dating site on which the victim held herself out to be a young adult. Burow agreed to pay her $100 for sex, his plea agreement says. Burow also demanded that she send him a nude image to ensure that she was not an undercover law enforcement officer or working with police. 

Burow picked up the girl on April 2, 2020 from a public park near her group home, took her to his home and secretly recording the sex acts. He then dropped her off at a motel in Palmyra, Missouri. She flagged down a passing police officer for help.

The girl was a ward of the state at the time, living in a facility supporting children struggling with issues related to attachment and developmental trauma.

Burow pleaded guilty in October to a felony charge of transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. 
 
The case was investigated by the Palmyra police Department, the Hannibal Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri lawyer to 31 months in prison for faking legal documents and forging judges’ signatures in cases involving at least 30 clients.

Judge Pitlyk also ordered Andrew Gavin Wynne to pay $351,000 in restitution for losses suffered by his former law firm. Wynne created fictitious documents with forged signatures in cases in St. Louis as well as St. Louis and St. Charles counties. Wynne created bogus court orders, judgments and emails authored by at least ten separate judges, some of which falsely claimed to award money to his clients. 

In one example, Wynne sent an email to a client on Feb. 28, 2020 that included a fictitious judgment and decree of dissolution with a forged judge’s signature. That divorce decree said Wynne’s client's marriage was dissolved and the parties would have joint legal and physical custody of the minor children. The decree also said the client was owed $900 per month child support, $5,000, a vehicle and other assets. 

On July 21, 2020, Wynne emailed another client an order with a forged judge’s signature that claimed $20,200 in payments were owed to that client.

Wynne’s series of deceptions and lies began unraveling when a client complained to Wynne’s boss.

One victim told Judge Pitlyk during Monday’s sentencing hearing that his divorce was still not finalized, and that Wynne’s actions had cost him his relationship with his two daughters. 

Wynne’s former boss said Wynne’s actions and deceptions were unprecedented in Missouri, had “stunned” clients and caused him “abject humiliation, utter despair and fear for the future.” The firm is still unwinding and trying to repair Wynne’s misdeeds, which the boss said victimized both clients and the judicial system.

Wynne, 35, pleaded guilty in March to five felony counts of identity theft.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A grand jury has indicted former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley on charges accusing him of committing insurance fraud while in office.

Bosley was indicted on three felony wire fraud charges Wednesday. The indictment was sealed until his appearance in court Monday, when he pleaded not guilty.

The indictment accuses Bosley of orchestrating a scheme to obtain money from his insurance company by falsely inflating the cost of repairs to a Prius that he was driving. The car had been obtained by Bosley from a businessman who owned a convenience store in Bosley’s ward as well as a used car lot and an auto repair business elsewhere.

Bosley paid $500 cash for the Prius, which had an approximate value of nearly $10,000, but he did not register or title the car in his name, the indictment says. The Certificate of Title listed the purchase price as $3,000.

On Sept. 16, 2021, another driver struck the Prius while it was parked in front of Bosley’s office. After the other driver’s insurance company contacted Bosley about the damages, Bosley offered a bribe to the businessman to prepare an inflated estimate of the repair costs so the insurance company would total the car, the indictment says.

He also asked the businessman to prepare a second, legitimate repair estimate in case he wanted to buy the car back from the insurance company, the indictment says. Based upon the falsely inflated repair estimate which Bosley submitted to the insurance company, the insurance company paid Bosley $7,978.90 for the vehicle, and Bosley then asked the businessman to offer the insurance company $2,000 to buy the car back, the indictment says.

Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both.

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 Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury has issued a superseding indictment charging Christopher Lee Carroll with multiple counts of bank fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a financial institution, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, violations of the Clean Air Act, and witness tampering. The federal grand jury also indicted the company run by Carroll, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, with twenty-one counts of violating the Clean Air Act.

The superseding indictment charges Carroll with three counts of bank fraud, six counts of money laundering, and three counts of making false statements of a financial institution in connection with Carroll’s company, Square One Group’s, receipt of two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, one in the amount of more than $1.2 million, and the second loan in the amount of more than $1.6 million.

The superseding indictment alleges that Carroll and his business partner, George Reed, submitted PPP loan applications in their spouses’ names, rather than their own names, to misrepresent and conceal Carroll’s status as a paroled felon, which would have precluded his company from receiving PPP funds. It is further alleged, that Carroll and Reed did not use the funds to compensate their employees, but instead, used the funds to start a trucking company called Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, and to fund $660,000 in payments to themselves. The superseding indictment further alleges that the company suspended their employees’ pay and health insurance coverage after applying for PPP funds.

The superseding indictment further alleges that Carroll and his company, Whiskey Dix Big Truck Repair, violated the Clean Air Act by unlawfully removing the emissions control systems from more than 30 diesel-fueled trucks, which caused the trucks to release between 30 and 300 more pollutants into the atmosphere. The superseding indictment also alleges that Carroll asked his employees to take the fall for the Clean Air Act violations, and when one of the employees indicated that he was going to talk to federal investigators, Carroll threatened not to pay for the employee’s attorney.

"Square One Group received nearly $3,000,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds intended to sustain their workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis" said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker. "Instead, company owners Chris Carroll and George Reed allegedly used those funds to start new businesses and compensate themselves all while laying off the very staff for whom those funds were intended.”

“The defendants violated the Clean Air Act by removing devices designed specifically to reduce pollution on more than 20 heavy-duty diesel trucks,” said Special Agent in Charge Lance Ehrig of EPA’s criminal investigation program in Missouri. “Diesel exhaust not only worsens air quality, but harms people’s health, in particular people with respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD, so when these illegal trucks travel through neighborhoods they are creating serious health problems for residents.”

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

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwendolyn Carroll and Matthew Drake are handling the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a former bank branch manager who embezzled about $439,000 from her employer to a term of imprisonment of 27 months.

Samantha J. Cherry, 35, from Morrisonville, Illinois was a manager at a UMB Bank branch in St. Louis at the time. Between January 2021 and March 2022, Cherry took cash directly from the vault and moved currency from other cash supplies into her cash drawer totals. Cherry admitted to the theft after being questioned by bank personnel.

Cherry pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one felony count of theft or embezzlement by a bank officer.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy believed responsible for 21 carjackings or attempted carjackings in the St. Louis area.

U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced Detrich Lamon Williams Jr., 21, to 19 years in prison.

Judge Pitlyk sentenced Aaron L. Morris, 22, on May 31 to 14 years in prison.

Both men pleaded guilty to all five counts that they faced: carjacking conspiracy, two counts of carjacking, brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

They admitted as part of their guilty pleas that they were among a group of teenagers from the Castle Point neighborhood in St. Louis County that committed carjackings and attempted carjackings in St. Louis and St. Louis County between July and October of 2020. Police believe the group committed a total of 21 carjackings.

In most of the incidents, Morris drove a relative’s SUV or a stolen car and Williams or another person stole the victims’ vehicles at gunpoint. Williams used Morris’ pistol, which had a distinctive green laser sight that had been described by several victims and helped lead investigators to the carjacking ring.

In his plea, Williams admitted stealing a Toyota Camry at gunpoint on Aug. 17, 2020, and then leading police on a high-speed chase that began in St. Louis and ended near Castle Point only after police used spike strips to disable the Camry.

Both men also admitted the following incidents:

• On Sept. 26, 2020, Williams and another person, who was armed with a pistol, stole a 2017 Volvo S60 sedan from a pizza delivery driver in St. Louis. Morris was driving.

• On Oct. 11, 2020, Morris drove Williams and others to the South County Mall. Williams approached a woman who had just parked and exited her 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, fired a shot in the air and stole the woman’s purse and 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

• Later that same day, Williams was with Morris and two others in St. Louis when they spotted a Jeep Cherokee in an alley. Williams and Morris stayed in the vehicle while the others confronted the owner of the Jeep. One of the others shot the Jeep’s owner before the group fled, Williams’ plea says.

The case was investigated by the Webster Groves Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Missouri has been indicted and accused of selling firearms without a license.

Harry Trueblood, 68, was indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis May 10. He pleaded not guilty to the unlicensed dealer charge on May 12.

The indictment alleges that Trueblood was an unlicensed firearms dealer from Jan. 1, 2021 through May 10, 2023

A court affidavit says that after learning that an AR-15-style pistol recovered in a criminal investigation had originally been purchased by Trueblood, an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was able to document that 15 firearms originally purchased by Trueblood had been recovered in criminal investigations. Between January 4, 2021 and March 31, 2022, Trueblood bought at least seventy firearms, the affidavit says. On many occasions, Trueblood purchased the same make model and caliber of firearm, including 15 of the same 9mm pistols.

Agents repeatedly saw Trueblood selling firearms at gun shows, where background checks are not required for sales from private sellers. Trueblood sold a firearm to a convicted felon working with the ATF at one show, even after the felon told Trueblood that he’d done time in prison, the affidavit says. Trueblood mentioned that police had called him about two guns used in crimes, and offered armor-piercing ammunition to shoppers, it says.

Trueblood continued to sell firearms at gun shows after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the ATF warning that the ATF believed he was illegally dealing in firearms without a license and an application so that he could become licensed, the affidavit says.

The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

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 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 Illinois on Thursday admitted robbing a bank in Ferguson, Missouri in 2019.

Milton Randol, 35, of Alton, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to a felony bank robbery charge. Randol admitted handing a note to a teller at Great Southern Bank in Ferguson on Dec. 13, 2019 that read, “Give me all the money[.] Don’t pull the silent alarm or I will shoot,” his plea agreement says. Randol then handed the teller a bag for the money. He told her not to set off the silent alarm, had her fill the bag then began stuffing money into his pockets before fleeing the bank.

Randol’s picture was captured on camera, and friends identified him when the picture was circulated in the St. Louis media. But Randol had fled to Texas, where he lived for a year before returning to St. Louis, his plea says.

Randol could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both at his August 29 sentencing.

The Ferguson Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a jury verdict against a St. Louis, Missouri landlord for violating the federal Fair Housing Act by evicting a family because of the birth of their second child.   

The Fair Housing Act prohibits terminating a lease, evicting tenants or refusing to sell or rent because of race, color, religion, familial status or national origin. 

After their eviction in 2017, Laura Erwin and Mack Teal filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”).  HUD conducted an investigation, issued a charge of discrimination against Rupp and referred the case to the Justice Department, which filed suit in 2019.   

On May 28, 2021, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk ruled in response to motions for summary judgment that Louis A. Rupp II’s conduct violated the Fair Housing Act.  On Aug. 19, 2021, a jury awarded the family of Laura Erwin and Mack Teal a total of $74,400 in damages, consisting of $14,400 in compensatory damages and $60,000 in punitive damages.

“The Rupp case shows how victims of civil rights violations in this district can find redress through the nation’s civil rights laws,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming. “Ms. Irwin knew something was wrong when Rupp evicted her and her family from their home, conducted her own research under the housing laws and decided to challenge his actions. In the end, the appeals court agreed with Ms. Irwin and her family that Rupp’s conduct was ‘reprehensible’ for evicting them shortly after Ms. Irwin’s emergency C-section. The court also ruled that punitive damages were appropriate because Rupp, a long-time landlord, showed ‘indifference to or reckless disregard of’ the housing laws and the Irwin family’s health and safety.”

The court also ruled that the size of the award did not violate the Rupp’s constitutional right to due process of law. 

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act.  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt.  Individuals may report housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291, emailing fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or submitting a report online. Individuals also may report discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777, or by filing a complaint online.

ST. LOUIS – Two men appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to answer an indictment accusing them of stealing mail from collection boxes in St. Louis County, Missouri and using those checks to commit bank fraud. 

Dareon Graham, 22, of Ferguson, and Tyrell Hardin, 20, of Hanley Hills, pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Hardin is facing one conspiracy count and eight counts of mail theft. Graham was indicted on one conspiracy count, 13 counts of bank fraud, four counts of possession of stolen mail and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

The April 26 indictment says Graham used a stolen key to open mail collection boxes and steal mail and paid money to Hardin to do the same. The pair would then open the mail and remove personal and business checks, the indictment says. 

Graham then recruited others to provide their banking information so he could alter the checks and deposit them into the accounts, the indictment says. Each check was written for thousands of dollars. Graham would then withdraw cash at ATMs before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent, the indictment says.

The conspiracy, mail theft and stolen mail charges carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Each aggravated identity theft charge carries a two-year prison term, consecutive to any other charge.

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

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Wellston, Missouri has been federally indicted and accused of possessing nearly one kilogram of fentanyl and 700 grams of crack cocaine.

Devion X. Gordon, 28, was charged by complaint May 9 and indicted by a grand jury May 17. He now faces charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Charging and court documents say that an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department resulted in a court-approved search of Gordon’s home on May 9. Investigators found a loaded Glock pistol, drug paraphernalia, about 965 grams of fentanyl, about 700 grams of cocaine base and approximately $18,000 in cash.
 
The fentanyl charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, and the cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime charges each carry a five-year mandatory minimum.

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

ST. LOUIS – A reality show cast member and St. Louis, Missouri area radio personality on Wednesday pleaded guilty to 15 federal felonies and admitted committing tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud and three separate pandemic fraud schemes.

Brittish “Cierrah” Williams, 33, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to 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. 

“British Williams has admitted an unusually large number of frauds that victimized taxpayers, banks, credit card companies, individuals and programs that were intended to help struggling businesses and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.” This is a first step towards justice for those victims. We will also be seeking repayment of all of her ill-gotten gains.” 

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 owed.

Williams fraudulently used Social Security numbers not assigned to her to open accounts with credit card companies and banks, which resulted in losses of $28,537 to those creditors when she failed to pay them back.

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

In addition, included in Williams’ guilty plea as relevant conduct are three pandemic frauds and one insurance fraud. Williams admitted submitting nine applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, intended to help struggling business, four applications for the Paycheck Protection Program, which was intended to save jobs, and one application to a rent relief program in California. 

Williams’ disaster loan applications contained false information about business income and payroll, as well as her criminal history. She used the $144,400 in loans that resulted from two of the applications to fund her personal lifestyle, her plea agreement says. 

Williams also received $52,647 in PPP loans.

On Jan. 3, 2022, Williams applied for the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program, falsely claiming that she was a California 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 had stopped paying rent in July of 2021. She received $27,801. 

Williams’ $3,803 rent was more than reimbursed by a $4,000 payment from the network that produces “Basketball Wives LA,” and her work hours and pay were not reduced by the pandemic, Williams admitted in her plea.

Williams also 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, and listed herself as “exempt” on a form with her current employer resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary, her plea says.

The total known actual and intended losses from all the frauds and schemes, including the relevant conduct, is $446,082, her plea says.

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced August 23. The charges of misusing a Social Security number and making false statements each carry a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The bank fraud charges carry penalties of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The wire fraud charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

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 – A St. Louis County, Missouri woman has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently seeking and receiving pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling $104,000. 

Camille N. Foster, 31, was indicted May 17 on three counts of bank fraud and two counts of wire fraud. The indictment was unsealed Monday. Foster is scheduled to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 30.

The indictment says Foster devised a scheme to defraud Paycheck Protection Program lenders by submitting a series of fraudulent loan applications for three companies, Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC and Muse Me Boutique LLC, from May 2020 to February 2021. Those applications contained false information about company payrolls and profits and the purpose of the loans, the indictment says, as well as Foster’s false claims that she didn’t own or have common management with any other business. Humble Hearts received two $20,832 loans and Embellished Jewels received two $20,833 loans. Muse Me Boutique received one $20,833 loan. 

Foster, also listed in court records as Foster-Nunley, later sought loan forgiveness, falsely claiming that a portion of each loan had been used for payroll costs, the indictment says. Instead, Foster transferred the PPP loan money to other accounts she controlled, took some out in cash, transferred some to other people and spent some on retail and restaurant purchases and cosmetic surgery, the indictment says.

The bank fraud charges are punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri prison guard pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday and admitted assaulting an inmate and possessing child pornography.  

Carl Hart, 37, of Farmington, was a sergeant in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre at the time of the Oct. 28, 2021 assault. After a verbal disagreement with an inmate who is the victim in the case, Hart ordered the victim out of his office. When the victim did not immediately return to his cell, two other corrections officers pepper-sprayed him. The victim went to the showers to wash off the spray. Hart admitted striking the victim in the shower and again after the victim had left the shower and was on the ground, handcuffed and compliant. The victim suffered lacerations on his head, swelling on his face, a black eye, numb arms and rib pain that continues to this day, Hart’s plea says.

In a separate investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip about suspected child pornography in Hart’s Dropbox account. The Missouri Highway Patrol Digital Forensics Unit investigated and found child pornography in Dropbox and on one of his phones, Hart admitted in his plea agreement.

Hart pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of possession of child pornography. The civil rights charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Each child pornography charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Hart is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24.

He also faces child pornography charges in St. Francois County Circuit Court.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A woman pleaded guilty Monday and admitted helping to steal a bag of cash from workers servicing an ATM in St. Louis County, Missouri.

Gregreonia Hampton, 21, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of aiding and abetting a robbery. Hampton admitted helping Mark Anthony Diggs rob two employees of ATM Solutions on May 31, 2022 at a Vantage Credit Union. 

Hampton drove a white Kia Optima to the ATM, and Diggs then got out of Kia’s back seat with a fully automatic Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 firearm. He demanded and received a bag of cash before Hampton drove off. The robbery was captured on video.

Hampton admitted having enough foreknowledge of the robbery that she could have walked away.

The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Hampton is scheduled to be sentenced August 23.

Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in April to charges of robbery and possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

The St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County, Missouri teen was indicted Wednesday and accused of being captured on video carjacking a Mazda 3 in St. Louis earlier this month.

A grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis indicted Ahdaejay Britton, 18, of Bel-Ridge, on one felony count of carjacking and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

A motion seeking to have Britton held in jail until trial says that in a “brazen attack” at about 1:30 p.m. on May 8, Britton approached the victim as he was walking out of a parking garage in the 3800 block of Lindell Boulevard. Britton pointed a handgun at the victim, pulled him back into the stairwell and then threw the victim to the ground, the motion says. After taking the victim's car keys and handing them to a juvenile, Britton stuck his gun in the victim’s face and reached into his pocket to steal his wallet and iPhone.

The carjacking was captured on surveillance video, and Britton was caught by police with the stolen vehicle, the stolen iPhone and a gun less than an hour after the carjacking, the detention motion says. 

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

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 case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.