Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man who robbed a St. Louis gas station convenience store at gunpoint and tried to rob another business to 57 months in prison.

On July 15, 2019, Kevin L. Gordon, 42, robbed the convenience store at 5003 Natural Bridge Avenue at gunpoint, taking the cash register. He left his gloves and his DNA behind, however.

On Sept. 19, 2019, Gordon walked into the King Grill grocery and restaurant at 3746 St. Louis Avenue, raised his shirt to show a pistol and threatened employees. He tried to steal money from the cash register but was thwarted by employees, who wrestled the cash register away from him.

Gordon pleaded guilty in February to two counts of robbery.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri felon caught with two guns to 57 months in prison.

Travis L. Robinson, 26, also agreed to forfeit an AR-15-style pistol and a .40 caliber Glock handgun. Both guns were found after Normandy police were called to an apartment building in the 4300 block of Walker Lane for a burglary in progress. A resident reported hearing kicking and prying noises.

Robinson and another man fled when police arrived. Robinson jumped out of a third-floor window, injuring himself. Officers found tools and tool marks on one of the apartment door locks. They found an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 pistol with a 30-round magazine, the Glock and a 50-round drum magazine for the Glock in the burglars’ car. Robinson’s DNA was on both firearms.

Robinson pleaded guilty in February to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robinson was on supervised release at the time of the crime, having been sentenced in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in 2018 to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also has committed a series of prior tampering and burglary offenses, a sentencing memo says.

The case was investigated by the Normandy Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS –A business owner from St. Charles County, Missouri on Thursday was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison for using employees’ tax money for college tuition and mortgage payments on two houses.

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark also ordered Jeffrey M. Bauza, 55, of Weldon Spring to pay back $1.4 million that he still owes in taxes.

Bauza owned the truck driving schools CDL Training Service & Consulting and CDL Training Services of Missouri at the time of the crime. Bauza was required by law to withhold income, Social Security and Medicare taxes from employee wages before turning them over to the Internal Revenue Service and file quarterly employment tax returns. He willfully failed to do so from 2012-2019.

Instead, he used part of the $2.3 million in income, Social Security and Medicare taxes that he’d withheld from his employees’ paychecks for college tuition for one of his children and for mortgage payments on his home as well as a vacation home in Florida. He also failed to pay $1 million in employer contributions to the IRS.

“Mr. Bauza was aware of his payroll tax obligations.  But instead of paying the funds he withheld from employee paychecks to the IRS, he used them to pay for his primary residence, a vacation home in Florida, a luxury vehicle, and private university tuition”, said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Thomas F. Murdock. “Cases such as this harm innocent taxpayers and CI’s special agents will aggressively pursue these criminals to detect and stop this type of fraud.”

Bauza pleaded guilty in November to one count of willful failure to collect or pay tax.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – The former assistant city clerk of Flordell Hills, Missouri was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in federal prison for stealing $159,903 from the struggling city. 

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel also ordered Donna Thompson, 76, to repay the money.

Thompson is the second former employee of Flordell Hills to be sentenced this week for stealing from the city, which is roughly six blocks square, has an annual budget of about $400,000 and a population of about 800. More than half of those residents live below the poverty line.

On Tuesday, Judge Sippel sentenced the former city clerk, Maureen Woodson, 68, to 18 months in prison and ordered her to repay the $487,673 that she stole. 

Both women wrote roughly 614 city checks to themselves from about February 2016 to April 2022, forging the signature of the mayor and/or treasurer and either cashing the checks or depositing them into their personal bank accounts. The mayor, the treasurer and the board of aldermen had no knowledge of the checks being written on city accounts. Woodson and Thompson used the cash for personal expenses and gambled the rest away. On about 381 occasions, Woodson and Thompson used Flordell Hills funds to directly pay for their own personal expenses, by either writing checks or wiring city funds directly to third party vendors for entertainment, restaurants, home rental payments, and personal taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service. 

Due to the financial difficulties caused by the women’s embezzlement, city officials at times did not take salaries, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said. There was not enough money for road maintenance and other vital city services. Mayor Joe Noeth and other volunteers mowed overgrown areas of the city and cleared streets and roads when they were blocked by downed trees or limbs. 

Woodson and Thompson were terminated in May of 2022, after the embezzlement was discovered. Woodson had been working at the city since 2010. Thompson was hired in 2012.

Woodson and Thompson each pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. 

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis, Missouri man to 28 years and three months in prison for a “rampage” that involved carjackings, burglaries and a home invasion in May of 2021.

Drew Clark, 37, started his spree by stealing a man’s Jeep Cherokee at Union Station in St. Louis on May 22, 2021 as the victim was unloading the vehicle. Inside was the man’s 9mm handgun and a Gibson guitar.

Four days later, Clark committed a series of crimes in less than four hours, often discarding items he’d stolen earlier and stealing new clothing, vehicles and other items.

Just before noon on May 26, 2021, Clark left the stolen Jeep near a commercial business in the 3700 block of South First Street and stole a worker’s truck before quickly abandoning it. He then stole a white Dodge Ram belonging to the business. One worker tried to block Clark in with his own truck, until Clark forced him to move out of the way by pointing the stolen handgun at the worker.

About 30 minutes later, Clark burglarized a home in the 2700 block of South 13th Street, taking a wallet and debit card, running shoes and a set of keys and leaving behind the Dodge Ram and work boots. He unsuccessfully tried to use the debit card, then tossed it in a dumpster behind a nearby deli.

Shortly thereafter, in the same block, he entered the home of a woman and demanded money at gunpoint. He forced the terrified woman into her bathroom and zip-tied her on the floor before stealing her keys, her husband’s work safety vest and helmet and her Jeep Cherokee.

At roughly 1:30 p.m., he left the Jeep in the 1100 block of South 7th Street, along with a blue jacket he had been wearing. He put on the vest and helmet and walked towards the Purina facility just south of downtown. After wandering around the grounds and buildings, stealing items and changing into clothing he stole from an employee’s locker, he carjacked a Subaru Impreza from a different employee who was on his way to happy hour.

He left the Subaru in the 1600 block of South 9th Street, leaving behind a Purina vest, temporary contractor badge and radio in the Subaru.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers spotted him nearby. Clark fled on foot, running through another victim’s home before officers were able to catch and subdue him. He had a backpack containing an unused zip tie, keys from Purina and items from the Jeep stolen at Union Station: a business card, gift card envelopes and a charging plug.

He hid the stolen firearm after his arrest, but it was spotted by a detective and wrestled away from him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen summed up the crimes for jurors at Clark’s January trial by calling it an “absolute rampage.” Clark, of the 4000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, was convicted of all charges: three counts of carjacking, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Jennifer Szczucinski are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to face an indictment accusing him of setting fire to a St. Louis County home last month.

Christopher Willis, 39, pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire. The indictment says the fire occurred in a rental home on April 29 on Nero Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County.

A motion seeking to have Willis held in jail until trial says that six days after Willis and his girlfriend broke up, Willis entered her home with a key, took her cellular phone and piled some of her clothing in the basement. Willis then set fire to the clothing and walked away as the girlfriend, her daughter and her aunt slept, the motion says. Smoke alarms sounded and the three were able to escape the home, the motion says.

The charge carries a potential penalty of at least five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine or both.

A charge 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 regional Bomb and Arson Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man from Kennett, Missouri to 10 years in federal prison on drug and gun charges.

Steven Chunn, 40, pleaded guilty in February to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  He admitted that on July 11, 2022, he was found to be in possession of 59 grams of methamphetamine and a Hi Point C9 9mm semi-automatic pistol following a traffic stop in Portageville, Missouri. Chunn further admitted he possessed the methamphetamine for distribution and the firearm was for protection of the drugs and money obtained from drug sales. The firearm was located underneath the driver seat and was loaded and ready to fire with eight rounds of hollow point ammunition in the magazine and a round in the chamber.

At the time of his arrest, Chunn had an active warrant for a parole violation on a felony drug case out of New Madrid County. Judge Limbaugh ordered Chunn’s federal sentence to run consecutive to his state case.

This case was investigated by the Portageville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former postal worker who stole cash and gift cards from mail in the Poplar Bluff, Missouri area to probation and ordered her to pay restitution and perform 200 hours of community service.

Brittney D. Bulliner, 29, was caught in a sting stealing Walmart gift cards and a gift card for Kohl’s and admitted stealing and rifling through 17 greeting cards two days before she was confronted.

The investigation began after postal customers in the Poplar Bluff area began complaining in April 2022 about mail that was missing contents. On Aug. 18, 2022, Bulliner was identified as a possible suspect. She was a sales and service distribution clerk at the time. 

On Aug. 20, 2022, an agent of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General placed a blue envelope containing a greeting card and two $25 Walmart gift cards into mail which was to be worked by Bulliner. The cards, along with a third gift card, were used by Bulliner on Aug. 23, 2022 to buy two bicycles at Walmart.

On Sept. 15, 2022, the agent placed a blue greeting card containing a Kohl’s gift card with no value into mail at the Broseley, Missouri Post Office. Agents confronted Bulliner after she opened the card, and she admitted stealing it. She also admitted stealing and opening 17 greeting cards before taping them shut and returning them. Agents found those cards in the Post Office the day they confronted Bulliner. The investigation identified at least 45 Postal Service customers who were missing mail taken by Bulliner.

Bulliner, who lives near Poplar Bluff, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on two counts of theft of mail. She pleaded guilty to both charges in February. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – The former city clerk of Flordell Hills, Missouri was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to repay the $487,673 she stole from the small, struggling city. Flordell Hills is roughly six blocks square, has an annual budget of about $400,000 and a population of about 800. Approximately 53.9% of those residents live below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel also ordered Maureen Woodson, 68, remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals at the end of the sentencing hearing.

From about February 2016 to April 2022, Woodson and the former assistant city clerk, Donna Thompson, wrote about 614 city checks to themselves. Woodson then forged the signature of the mayor and/or treasurer to cash the checks or deposit them into their personal bank accounts. The checks were written and cashed without the knowledge of the mayor, the treasurer or the board of aldermen. Woodson and Thompson used the cash to gamble both in person and online and for personal expenses. Further, on about 381 occasions, Woodson and Thompson used Flordell Hills funds to directly pay for their own personal expenses, by either writing checks or wiring city funds directly to third party vendors for entertainment, restaurants, home rental payments, and personal taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service. 

Woodson stole $487,673 and Thompson took $159,903.

“Flordell Hills residents and officials trusted these two defendants completely and relied upon them to handle the city’s financial operations,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “The $650,000 that they stole could have been used for vital city services, like fixing roads and sewers, paying contractors and helping struggling residents. Instead, these defendants used it for personal expenses and gambled the rest away. This case, and the prison sentence for Ms. Woodson, should serve as a warning to those who would betray the public’s trust.” 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith told Judge Sippel that while Woodson and Thompson were stealing from the city, the mayor and other officials were at times not taking salaries. Mayor Joe Noeth and others were mowing overgrown areas of the city and clearing streets and roads when they were blocked by downed trees or limbs. “She had to be aware that her criminal conduct was having adverse effects on residents,” Goldsmith said.

"It is outrageous that Maureen Woodson stole more than the entire annual budget for the City of Flordell Hills," said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Stealing from the community she swore to serve is public corruption."

Woodson and Thompson were terminated in May of 2022, after the embezzlement was discovered. Woodson was hired in 2010 and Thompson in 2012.

Woodson and Thompson each pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. Thompson, 76, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Tuesday found a woman from Jefferson County, Missouri guilty on all 26 felony charges she faced for defrauding the Social Security Administration and private disability insurers with false disability claims.

Elizabeth Guetersloh, 67, was found guilty of two counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of theft of government funds. The trial began May 8.

Guetersloh is one of a series of former Anheuser-Busch employees who went to a Jefferson County chiropractor as part of a scheme to falsely claim disability payments.

Guetersloh claimed she was severely restricted in her physical and mental functioning, and eventually received a total of $331,557 in disability payments. All the while, according to court exhibits and testimony, she danced, hiked through waterfalls, rode roller coasters, went to wineries, drove long distances and traveled domestically as well as internationally.

The chiropractor, Thomas G. Hobbs, 65, pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge and admitted conspiring to commit the crimes of health care fraud, making false statements, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud.

Hobbs admitted exaggerating patients’ medical conditions so they would fraudulently receive more than $3.5 million in disability payments from the Social Security Administration and private disability benefit insurers.

Hobbs co-owns Power-Med Inc., a chiropractic clinic in Arnold, Missouri. Hobbs charged patients between $2,000 and $8,600 to prepare disability forms and coached them to lie about their ability to perform basic activities such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, remembering and taking care of their personal needs.

Guetersloh advised a family member that she paid $6,000 for Dr. Hobbs’ disability services.

“Elizabeth Guetersloh lied about her physical condition to steal over $300,000 which she enjoyed on cruises, picturesque hikes, and other travel,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis office. “In concert with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to ensuring these necessary safety-net programs are available to help those truly in need.” 

Hobbs’ former wife and Power-Med co-owner, Vivian Carbone-Hobbs, 60, of Fenton, as well as one current and one former employee, Christina Barrera, 63, of St. Louis, and Clarissa Pogue, 39, of DeSoto, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration by a different jury in February. Carbone-Hobbs was also convicted of 10 counts of health care fraud and two counts of theft of money from the United States. Pogue was convicted of one count of theft of money from the United States.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a man from Cape Girardeau, Missouri who was caught with a fully automatic Glock pistol to 51 months in prison.

Kaydence K. Robertson, 21, was driving a speeding vehicle that was pulled over by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 23, 2022. A deputy found a backpack on the floor of the front driver’s side of the vehicle containing marijuana, suspected crack cocaine and a .45-caliber Glock pistol modified with an illegal 3D-printed “switch” to make it fully automatic. Under the driver’s seat, the deputy found pills containing oxycodone and a loaded 9mm Glock pistol.

Glock switches, sometimes referred to as “auto sears,” are considered machine guns under federal law, even if not installed in a firearm.

Robertson pleaded guilty in February to one count of possession of a machine gun.

The case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who provided the drugs that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Charles, Missouri to 35 years in prison.

Ledra A. Craig, 46, of Wright City, was also ordered to pay $8,544 for his victim’s funeral.

Craig first supplied fentanyl to a man in the bathroom of the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles just before 7 a.m. on August 2, 2020, according to court statements and evidence at Craig’s trial in January. The man collapsed minutes later in the lobby and had to be revived with two doses of Narcan.

While that victim was on the brink of death, Craig sold fentanyl to another man, identified in court documents as “R.P.,” in the parking garage. Craig had approached that man and his friend in the casino earlier and offered to sell them cocaine.

About 40 minutes later, R.P. and his friend were spotted in a car in a neighborhood a few blocks from R.P.’s house. Authorities were called when the car rolled forward onto someone’s lawn. Both men had overdosed. N.B. was revived with Narcan. R.P. was blue, had no pulse and was not breathing. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman pointed out during Wednesday’s hearing that the victim "did not know what the defendant was selling him. In fact, the defendant knew that the victim thought he was getting cocaine when the defendant knew and understood that R.P. was about to ingest one of the most lethal substances known to man: fentanyl. Despite knowing just how dangerous and deadly fentanyl was, the defendant continued to sell it anyway.”

Investigators quickly identified Craig as the man seen in the casino with the overdose victims, and an undercover officer bought fentanyl from Craig later that day in a transaction that was recorded on video. After his arrest, Craig admitted selling fentanyl to R.P. and conspiring to sell fentanyl that summer. R.P.’s phone was found in Craig’s house, as well as fentanyl capsules and residue.

Craig was found guilty by a federal jury in January of a fentanyl conspiracy charge, two counts of distribution of fentanyl causing serious bodily injury for the non-fatal overdoses, one count of distribution of fentanyl with death resulting and one count of fentanyl distribution for the sale to an undercover police officer.

"Because fentanyl is so lethal, DEA investigations involving drug poisoning deaths are no longer rare events," said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. "We know drug traffickers lie about their illegal products. They don't care about human lives and are only involved in their criminal enterprise for the money. The only safe solution to avoid dying from fentanyl is to avoid drugs, especially if there’s a chance it came from someone like this defendant."

“We are pleased with the outcome but saddened by the loss of life,” said Captain Jeff Lange, deputy commander of the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force. “We hope this verdict sends a message to the drug dealers that they will not get away with the taking of lives and we hope the families can find peace with the tragic loss of their loved one.  We are proud we were able to play a role in holding Mr. Craig accountable for his actions in the dealing of drugs in our community. “ 

The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Samantha Reitz prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – Six members of a St. Louis drug ring linked to two murders have pleaded guilty in the last eight days.

In all, 17 defendants were charged in the case, and all have now pleaded guilty.

One of the leaders, Maurice Herbert Lee II, 35, pleaded guilty May 2 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Lee obtained bulk fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine from Juan Jose Francisco Gonzalez in Arizona via Darryl Lennell Moore II. Lee would then dilute the fentanyl and supply it to co-conspirators who at the height of the conspiracy were selling over 20,000 doses per week. Lee supplied the methamphetamine to another person who then redistributed it.

Lee admitted being responsible for between 4 and 12 kilograms of fentanyl and between 500 grams and 1.5 kilos of methamphetamine.

Lee’s "runners," who dealt fentanyl for him, were Christopher Jerrin Warlick Jr., Norris Douglas Jr., Mikell Rayford, Sherod Jacolby Tucker, Jerry O. Streeter Jr., Jerome Lamont Fisher Jr., Maricus Davon Futrell and Delvin Bost, according to Lee’s plea agreement. 

Some runners were considered to be “muscle,” and would use firearms and violence to protect themselves, the drugs and the money and to intimidate rival gangs and drug distributors. Lee conspired to possess firearms to help protect his operation. His plea says it was well known that there was a bounty of between $5,000 and $15,000 for the murder of any rival gang members or drug dealers.

Ramico Darez James Adams also helped to keep track of the drugs sold and money due and Jalisa Shatavia Johnson would resupply runners and collect money at the end of the day. 

Lee admitted two fatal shootings occurred in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

Lee paid Silas, Warlick and Fisher after Silas and Fischer fatally shot Alexander Noodel on May 8, 2017, Lee’s plea agreement says. The men fired over 100 rounds. Fisher disposed of his weapon but Silas kept his rifle. That rifle was seized by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in January of 2018 after a high-speed chase. Investigators also found records showing group texts in which they planned the murder.

A witness identified Michael Johnson as the person who fired 25 shots and killed Kevin Davis Jr., 24, on June 30, 2017 in the 1900 block of Belt Avenue in St. Louis after chasing him down the street. Earlier that day, Bost called Lee to confirm that a bounty for Davis was still being offered. Bost later claimed credit, received $10,000 from Lee and then paid Johnson, plea agreements by Lee and Bost say.

Lee faces 10 years to life in prison for each of the drug conspiracy charges and up to 20 years for each of the gun charges at his August 2 sentencing.

Johnson, 30, pleaded guilty May 4 to one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted in his plea agreement that Davis was fatally shot and that he discharged a firearm in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced August 1.

Fisher pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime resulting in death. He acknowledged Noodel’s death and admitted participating in text messages as the co-conspirators searched for Noodel. He also admitted that the discharge of firearms was committed in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Warlick, 27, also pleaded guilty Monday, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He admitted being primarily responsible for diluting the fentanyl for sale and for acting as armed security for the fentanyl dealers. On Nov. 29, 2017, he was armed with a Glock pistol and drove two others, Streeter and Rayford, to a market in Moline Acres. There, Streeter and Rayford opened fire with assault rifles, seriously wounding three people. 

Warlick is scheduled to be sentenced August 10 and faces up to 20 years in prison on the drug count and at least seven on the gun charge that must run consecutive to the drug charge.

Bost pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted accepting the murder bounty, selling drugs on Facebook and being caught with methamphetamine on Feb. 11, 2019.

Charles Daniel Guice pleaded guilty Wednesday to receiving guns while under indictment and is scheduled to be sentenced August 10.

Tremayne Silas, 30, of St. Louis, was sentenced in February to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to a charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Gonzalez’s sentencing is set for June 7. Moore was sentenced in 2021 to 98 months in prison. Weaver was sentenced in 2022 to 10 years in prison. Tucker was sentenced in 2021 to 80 months in prison. Futrell was sentenced in 2022 to 11 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul D’Agrosa and Mohsen Pasha are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Ste. Genevieve County pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday and admitted schemes to defraud both Home Depot and Missouri’s unemployment insurance program.

Arthur Grass, 36, also admitted being a felon caught with a firearm. Grass pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to steal money from the United States (unemployment benefits) and one count of wire fraud.

Grass admitted filing false unemployment claims for about 10 people beginning in May of 2020. Grass falsely claimed that they had been laid off from his construction company, AJE Construction. Grass cashed out the unemployment benefits, which had been placed on debit cards, and kicked some money back to the “workers,” who had voluntarily provided him their personal information to use in the scheme. In all, the scheme reaped $142,423, including supplemental COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefits.

Grass also admitted defrauding Home Depot on multiple occasions by filling a cart with boxes of vinyl flooring and then adding an inexpensive item on top. He would pay for the inexpensive item and claim that he’d paid for the flooring online, showing a fraudulent receipt. 

Charging documents say he stole about 468 boxes of flooring that way from Home Depot stores in St. Louis and St. Louis County from Jan. 5, 2023 through Feb. 6, 2023. Each box was priced at about $75 or more. He then sold them on Facebook.

Finally, on March 31, 2022, St. Charles County police who were investigating catalytic converter thefts found Grass’ Jeep in a storage lot, with Grass inside. He was arrested and police later found a stolen Glock 9mm pistol in a toolbox in the Jeep. Grass is a convicted felon and barred from possessing a firearm.

“Arthur Grass engaged in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme targeting the Missouri Department of Labor, Division of Employment Security. Grass conspired to submit fraudulent UI claims in the names of other individuals, diverting vital taxpayer resources away from those in dire need of unemployment benefits. Today’s guilty plea affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to pursuing UI fraud.  We are grateful for our partnerships with the Missouri Department of Labor and our many law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Grass faces up to 10 years in prison for the gun charge, up to 20 years for the wire fraud charge and up to five years for the stealing charge, as well as the possibility of a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge. He will also be ordered to repay the money.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Charles County Police Department, the Missouri Department of Labor, the Arnold Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and Home Depot Retail Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a robber who stole from a Kohl’s store in Manchester, Missouri to 130 months in prison.

Mercedes W. Gregory, 34, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Gregory admitted placing multiple items of clothing in a cart and walking out of the Kohl’s store just before 1:30 p.m. on July 12, 2021. A loss prevention officer followed until Gregory said, “If you keep following me, I’m going to shoot you.” Gregory left in a white Chevrolet.

That night, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spotted the car at a gas station in St. Louis. Gregory ran but was caught. Officers found a Taurus handgun in Gregory’s satchel. The Kohl’s merchandise was in the trunk.

Gregory has two prior robbery convictions, a 2008 case in St. Louis County and a 2013 case in St. Louis. Gregory’s parole in the 2013 case ended 11 days before the Kohl’s robbery.

The case was investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A doctor from Kansas pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday and admitted ordering millions of dollars’ worth of unnecessary and expensive genetic tests and orthotic braces for thousands of patients as part of a telemedicine fraud scheme.

Dr. Gautam Jayaswal, 64, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Dr. Jayaswal has been a licensed medical doctor since 1986, working primarily as an emergency room physician. From 2017 to 2021, he contracted with multiple companies to work as a telemedicine doctor, including Barton & Associates, DialCare Co, Doctegrity, Doctorology LLC, USA Management Resources LLC, Rossiter and Cummaro Enterprises LLC, RAS/Sunshine Medical, Fix Ur Rx, Rocky Mountain Health, LSW Management Solutions, Physician Acquisition Pas and MP Network, his plea agreement says. 

During that period, Dr. Jayaswal fraudulently ordered one or more orthotic braces for 1,433 patients. The companies used those fraudulent orders to defraud Medicare out of approximately $1.36 million. Between June 2018 and September 2021, Dr. Jayaswal signed orders for medically unnecessary genetic tests. Medicare Part B paid about $14.7 million for the 2,061 patients for whom Dr. Jayaswal was listed as the ordering physician.

Dr. Jayaswal faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former bank branch manager from Florissant, Missouri was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for stealing $175,842 from customers.

U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig also ordered Andrea Nicole Hopkins, 29, to repay the money. 

Hopkins actually took more than $328,000 from the accounts of 15 customers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman said in court Monday, but returned some of the money to earlier victims to perpetuate the scheme. Hopkins stole from the accounts of some victims multiple times, he said. Some of her victims were elderly and had a diminished ability to understand their financial affairs. Among them are two 80-year-olds, one 95-year-old and one 82-year-old, her plea agreement says.

From Feb. 20, 2020 to May 25, 2021, while manager of the Commerce Bank branch on Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis, Hopkins logged into customer accounts and transferred funds out into either cashier’s checks or prepaid cards, her plea says. She changed the address on some account statements, forged signatures and transferred funds among customers to try and hide the thefts. The bank has since repaid customers.

She used the money to buy a motorcycle, to pay for living expenses and to pay personal debts.

Hopkins pleaded guilty in January to four felony counts of bank fraud. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday found a man guilty of selling the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Florissant, Missouri man in 2018.

The jury found Wyland Kinney, 43, of St. Louis County, guilty of four felony counts: distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in death, two counts of distributing fentanyl and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In closing arguments Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman said the victim’s phone contained a series of texts and calls to Kinney on August 15 and 16 of 2018 in which the victim arranged to buy opiates from Kinney. Kinney sold heroin and fentanyl to the victim at 2:30 p.m. on August 16, 2018. The victim was living with his grandmother, who found him dead at about 8 p.m., 30 minutes after she’d last heard from him. An autopsy and toxicology results showed that the quantity of heroin and fentanyl individually was enough to kill him, Bateman said. Together they killed him quickly. 

The victim had been battling heroin addiction and had just been in the hospital for treatment.

During the subsequent investigation, officers discovered the victim’s calls and texts to Kinney and learned Kinney’s name, then had a confidential informant purchase a mix of fentanyl and ketamine twice from Kinney, on October 11 and 12.

A court-approved search of Kinney’s home found two handguns, a shotgun, ammunition and $6,443 in cash in the basement and four handguns, four shotguns, two rifles an AK-style pistol and more ammunition inside a gun safe on the main floor. They also found text messages regarding drug sales on his phone.

At Kinney’s sentencing, he faces life in prison for the distribution resulting in death charge, up to 20 years on the other drug charges and up to 10 years on the gun charge.

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

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County, Missouri was indicted by a federal grand jury here Wednesday and accused of robbing a convenience store at gunpoint. 

Richard E. Barber, 51, is now facing three felonies: robbery, possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment alleges that Barber used a firearm to rob a Gas Mart in north St. Louis County on Feb. 11, 2023. Barber is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a gun.

A detention motion says Barber entered the store and took a beer from the refrigerator before pulling a pistol and calmly ordering the cashier to empty the cash register. Two days later, a pistol resembling the one used in the robbery was recovered after Barber wrecked his car. The robbery was captured on video, the motion says. 

The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both and the felon in possession of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years and the same fine. The firearm brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years in prison. 

Barber was on supervised release at the time of the robbery after having been sentenced in 2014 to serve 100 months in federal prison on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is also facing charges of robbery and armed criminal action in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

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 County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A registered nurse on Thursday admitted illegally obtaining and using fentanyl from the hospital where she worked.

Lindsey M. Francis, now 35, was a nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau at the time of the crime. On Jan. 15, 2022, a colleague discovered a used syringe in a locker room in the hospital’s emergency department. A subsequent investigation revealed that a vial of fentanyl had been tampered with. Confronted by hospital staff, Francis said that on that occasion and others since June or July of 2021, she had taken and injected leftover fentanyl due to work and personal stress, her plea agreement says. The total amount of fentanyl diverted was determined to be less than 4 grams. 

Francis pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of unlawfully acquiring a controlled substance, a felony. The charge is punishable by up to four years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. 

Francis is scheduled to be sentenced August 1.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Dunklin County, Missouri, was sentenced Thursday to five and one-half years in prison for selling seven devices that convert AR-15-style rifles into fully automatic weapons.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. ordered the sentence for Lamad Cross, 24, of Kennett, Missouri, to run consecutive to any sentence he receives for violating his probation in a Dunklin County Circuit Court case. Cross pleaded guilty in 2021 in that case to resisting arrest  by fleeing. 

“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the use of these devices on firearms in our area,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming. “They are incredibly dangerous, and anyone contemplating their purchase or use needs to know that we will vigorously prosecute these cases.” 

“The possession and use of machine gun conversion devices is an emerging threat to the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect them.  This investigation and today’s sentencing send a very clear message that the use of these devices will not be tolerated,” said Bernard Hansen, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division.  

The investigation began when police in Cape Girardeau recovered a Glock pistol that had a “switch” installed that converted it to an automatic weapon. Investigators learned that a straw purchaser bought the pistol for Cross, who is a convicted felon and barred from purchasing or possessing firearms, Cross’ plea agreement says. He was also on probation from two state criminal cases at the time.

A confidential informant working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contacted Cross via social media and asked about buying a Glock switch. Cross instead offered a drop-in “auto sear” that converts an AR-15-style rifle into an automatic weapon. On Sept. 19, 2022, Cross’ girlfriend delivered the device in exchange for $800. Cross later said he would send videos showing how to install the auto sear and said he could offer a lower price for bulk purchases.

On Sept. 27, 2022, Cross met with the informant in Cape Girardeau and sold three auto sears for $650 each. Cross also said that he was thinking about obtaining AR-15s so he could install the auto sears and then sell automatic rifles.

On Oct. 12, 2022, Cross agreed to sell three more auto sears for a total of $1,900 and used a different woman to deliver them to an undercover ATF agent.

He also said he’d sold two of the devices to someone else, although that claim has not been verified.

Although most of the devices were recovered by law enforcement, “Cross’s conduct posed a tremendous risk to the public,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis wrote in a sentencing memo.

Glock switches and auto sears, even if not installed in a firearm, are considered machine guns under federal law.

Cross pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in January to one felony charge of unlawful transfer of a machine gun.

During a January 5 press conference in St. Louis, local and federal officials warned of an increase in the recovery and use of Glock switches and auto sears, which make firearms difficult to control and “inherently dangerous.”

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted smuggling regulated wildlife into the United States.

Michael Amato, 68, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of fraudulently importing protected wildlife. He also agreed to forfeit more than six dozen taxidermy bird mounts that were seized from his home on Sept. 1, 2021 as well as bird mounts still in his possession, including owls, buzzards, hawks, eagles, harriers and cranes.

Amato admitted as part of his plea that he and unnamed associates smuggled wildlife into the United States from Malta, England, Germany and other countries without declaring that wildlife and without obtaining the permits required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). From February 2018 through September 2020, Amato smuggled in 67 different birds.

Some are listed as threatened with extinction, others could become so if their trade is not regulated.

Amato told his international associates how to fill out export/import forms and list the wildlife to avoid law enforcement detection, his plea says.  

Amato is scheduled to be sentenced August 8. Both sides have agreed to recommend three years of probation and a $5,000 donation to the World Bird Sanctuary to represent a portion of the market value of the protected wildlife seized from his home.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Peters, Missouri has been indicted in federal court and accused of fraudulently obtaining a total of $137,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic via two assistance programs. 

Regina Brand, 51, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis April 5 on three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. She pleaded not guilty April 13 and is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The indictment alleges that between Sept. 1, 2021, and at least March 30, 2022, Brand submitted at least 12 fraudulent applications for rental assistance under the Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief Program to the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The program was intended to provide emergency assistance to landlords and renters to prevent a wave of evictions during the pandemic. Brand lied on each application, listing two fake landlords, Angels Voices and Brand Construction, and submitting fraudulent lease agreements, the indictment says.

She received a total of $96,825 in assistance.

Brand also submitted several fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans between April 1, 2020 and at least August 25, 2021, the indictment says. In one example listed in the indictment, Brand submitted a fraudulent application for a loan for Angels Voices and received $40,535.55. The loan application contained false and inflated information about payroll and the number of employees, and Brand spent the money for personal and vehicle expenses, the indictment says.

The wire fraud charges carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a penalty of at least two years in prison 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 case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – The former owner of a Creve Coeur pharmacy on Monday admitted paying illegal kickbacks to marketing companies to generate prescriptions for expensive medications.

Michael J. McCormac, 55, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to two counts of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute. 

At the time of the crimes, McCormac owned GoLiveWell Pharmacy, which operated primarily as a mail-order pharmacy supplying customers across the country. McCormac admitted striking deals with marketing companies in which GoLiveWell would illegally kick back a percentage of the pharmacy’s net profit on prescriptions obtained through the marketing companies’ efforts.

In exchange, the pharmacy received prescriptions obtained by the marketing companies in various ways, including by running ads in hopes that patients would “opt in” to receiving prescriptions for expensive drugs. The companies also engaged in the so-called “doctor chase,” in which they fax prescriptions to doctors’ offices in hopes that the doctors sign them.

Those prescriptions included topical creams, oral medications and antibiotic and antifungal “foot bath” drugs. Claims for payment for the drugs were submitted to federal health plans including Medicare and the Missouri Medicaid and Ohio Medicaid programs.

GoLiveWell paid one company 60 percent of the pharmacy’s net profit and another 45 percent. One month, GoLiveWell paid one marketing company $260,836.

In total, the government alleges that Medicare paid GoLiveWell $4.7 million to which it was not entitled, with another $490,000 coming from Missouri Medicaid and $330,000 from Ohio Medicaid.

McCormac is scheduled to be sentenced August 16. Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. He will also be ordered to pay restitution.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Medicaid Fraud Control Units of Missouri and Ohio, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Reiter and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri has been accused of prostituting a minor online.

Carrie Little, 43, of Olivette, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 19 and now faces three felonies: sex trafficking of a minor, coercion and enticement and a violation of the Mann Act.

She appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The enticement count in the indictment accuses Little of using interstate commerce (a computer, tablet and smartphone) from at least July 2018 through July 2020 to persuade and coerce the minor to engage in prostitution. The Mann Act charge accuses her of using the internet to promote, manage and facilitate prostitution from March 2019 through June 2022. The sex trafficking charge accuses her of recruiting, enticing and/or advertising the minor to participate in a commercial sex act from at least July 2018 through July 2020.

The sex trafficking and coercion charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years to life in prison. The Mann Act charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

On Thursday, Little waived a detention hearing, meaning she will be held in jail until trial.

Little also faces charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

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 County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Friday admitted buying and then re-selling business and personal checks stolen from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes.

Dennis Cooperwood Jr., 19, of Country Club Hills, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to one felony count of possession of stolen mail matter. Cooperwood admitted being in possession of about 179 business and personal checks on April 12 that had been taken from collection boxes. 

That night, St. Louis County Police Department officers on patrol in the Spanish Lake area spotted a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road with multiple people standing at the windows. After the crowd dispersed and the vehicle drove away, officers stopped the vehicle and found Cooperwood in the back seat wearing a shoulder bag containing a gun and the checks. Cooperwood told officers that he bought stolen checks for $5 to $10 each and would scratch off the writing on the checks before re-selling them for $20 to $25. 

Cooperwood is scheduled to be sentenced July 31. The possession of stolen mail matter charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from East St. Louis was sentenced Wednesday to 37 months in federal prison for assaulting Park Rangers in an incident that began on the grounds of the Gateway Arch National Park.

On Feb. 28, 2021, Park Rangers made a lawful traffic stop of a vehicle in the Old Cathedral parking lot. Antione Lamont Hawkins, now 39, was in the driver’s seat and an open beer bottle and an open beer carton were in the vehicle. Hawkins admitted that he had been drinking.

Hawkins provided his name but wouldn’t provide identification. He refused to keep his hands on the steering wheel and then became confrontational.  

When rangers tried to handcuff Hawkins, he struggled, stomping on one ranger’s foot and kicking him in the leg. When rangers tried to put him in a patrol vehicle, he kicked a ranger in the face. Hawkins grabbed a different ranger by the throat during a struggle in jail.

Hawkins pleaded guilty in December in front of U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry to two counts of assaulting an officer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – The United States Attorney's Office announced that Darwin L. Craig, 34, of Charleston, Missouri, was sentenced to serve 12 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine.

Craig appeared for his sentencing hearing Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

According to court documents, Craig made arrangements to sell approximately five ounces of methamphetamine to an individual in Charleston last May. Craig met the individual and provided the methamphetamine in exchange for $1,200 in cash. Unbeknownst to Craig at the time, however, the individual was an undercover agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Craig admitted that he knowingly distributed the methamphetamine. After serving his 12-year sentence, Craig will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years.

This case was investigated by the DEA and the SEMO Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – Two men from East St. Louis, Illinois who were already facing federal charges related to a carjacking in November have been accused of more. 

Quinn Turner, 21, and Jaylen Mays, 25, pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court Wednesday. Turner is facing four felonies from an April 19 superseding indictment: two carjacking charges and two charges of possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mays is charged with three counts each of carjacking and firearms charge, as well as one count charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment accuses Mays, aided by others, of stealing a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu on Nov. 5, 2022 while brandishing a firearm. It says Mays and Turner, again aided by others, stole a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu at gunpoint six days later, and a 2017 GMC Terrain two days after that. 

A detention motion says the GMC was stolen from a gas station at the northwest corner of Russell Boulevard and South 7th Street in the Soulard neighborhood by men who pulled up in a Nissan Rogue and the carjacked Malibu, which had been stolen in the downtown business district.

Detectives assigned to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Anti-Crime Task Force utilized spike strips to stop the Malibu, finding Quinn, Mays and a juvenile that matched the description of one of the armed men inside, the detention motion says.

The carjacking and felon in possession charges carry a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison.

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

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from Mexico, Missouri was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old runaway on a trip to Las Vegas.

Jacob D. Burney, now 24, became involved in a relationship with the 13-year-old victim in 2021. Sometime before Dec. 8, 2021, the victim ran away from home to be with Burney. The teen was reported missing, and Homeland Security Investigations received a National Hotline Tip on Dec. 14, 2021 about her.

Burney switched vehicles and left Missouri to prevent law enforcement officers from finding her. During the trip to Las Vegas, Burney provided drugs and alcohol to the teen and committed the crime of statutory rape repeatedly.

Burney pleaded guilty in January in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a charge of transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act.

“Only by joining together will we successfully eradicate child exploitation from our neighborhoods, therefore HSI is asking the community to pay attention to the signs of these abuses and ultimately report them," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho for Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City.

The Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at moicac.org and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at missingkids.org both have resources on how to protect children.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins 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 former supervisory motor vehicle inspector with the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Tuesday admitted taking thousands of dollars in cash bribes to falsely certify that vehicles had been inspected and were roadworthy.

Larry S. Conrad, 67, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of using a facility in interstate commerce, a cellular telephone, to facilitate his bribery scheme. He admitted accepting a total of about $14,020 in individual bribes to falsify forms and approve inspections of vehicles that had been damaged and had salvage titles or were listed as “abandoned,” even if he never saw the vehicle.

Conrad’s primary duty was to perform motor vehicle inspections at the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop C facility in south St. Louis County. There is no fee for the inspections. If the vehicle passes, an inspector signs and certifies forms required for motor vehicle owners to apply for original Missouri Certificates of Title.

Conrad admitted accepting individual cash bribes ranging from $40 to $160 to pass vehicles. He often falsified certificates to indicate there was no apparent damage when there was visible damage to the vehicle being inspected. 

On multiple occasions, Conrad took money for the inspection of vehicles that he never saw, including at least one that was not drivable, the plea agreement says.

Conrad communicated with the vehicle owners via text messages and cell phone conversations and had them place the cash bribes in the driver’s side door pocket. Conrad would then take the money at the time he was to be performing the inspection.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said Conrad’s bribery scheme thwarted procedures that are designed to make sure that vehicles are roadworthy and safe for both the occupants of that vehicle and others on the road.

Conrad is scheduled to be sentenced July 27. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with the cooperation of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man on Thursday admitted stealing a bag of cash from workers servicing an ATM in St. Louis County, Missouri.

Mark Anthony Diggs, 21, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one robbery charge and one count of possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Diggs admitted robbing 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.

A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper found the money bag, and Diggs’ DNA was later found on paper inside it. A search of Diggs’ home on July 14 found clothing identical to items worn by the robber.

“It did not take long to identify Mark Diggs as a suspect,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “When it comes to violent federal crime, the FBI will surge resources to bring perpetrators to justice. In this case, video cameras that are always watching were key to solving the case.”

Diggs is scheduled to be sentenced July 18. The robbery charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years consecutive to any other charge.

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 teenager on Wednesday admitted helping to rob a cab driver in Hazelwood in 2022 before he was fatally shot. 

Coron Dees, 19, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a robbery charge. In his plea agreement, he admitted involvement in a series of events that led to the robbery and shooting of Dewight Price, a driver for St. Louis County Cab, on April 24, 2022.

Dees and three co-defendants were at a party in downtown St. Louis before calling a cab from the Shell gas station at 721 North Tucker Boulevard at 5:23 a.m. They used a fake name and address and planned to run away without paying when they were dropped off in St. Louis County. When they learned they would have to pre-pay for the ride, however, they began hatching a plan to pay, then rob, the driver, Dees’ plea says.

During the ride, Price was redirected to Hazelwood Central High School because Dees and the others thought there would be no witnesses there early on a Sunday morning, the plea agreement says. Once they arrived, Dees and another teen pulled out firearms and demanded Price’s money, the plea says.  Price handed over his cash, then grabbed a gun he kept in his door and began to get out of the cab. One teen in the backseat opened his door, knocking Price to the ground before another shot Price once in the torso. Price died before police arrived.

Police arrested three of the four teens and found their guns that afternoon, the plea agreement says.

Dees is scheduled to be sentenced July 18. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The three other teens face a robbery charge and a charge of aiding and abetting the commission of a murder, with one also facing a charge of being an accessory after the fact. All three have pleaded not guilty. 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 County Police Department and the FBI.

ST. LOUIS – A disgruntled former employee of a St. Charles, Missouri restaurant who attacked it with Molotov cocktails was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

On the evening of April 30, 2021, Rashaad Cotton, 25, of St. Louis County, first threw a Molotov cocktail on a residential street in a suburban area in St. Charles. Twenty minutes later, he threw another on the northeast side of the Sauce on the Side restaurant on Beale Street and one near the front door. A juvenile female with Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail at a patio area. The restaurant was open and serving customers. The pair then ran back to Cotton’s vehicle and fled, but were arrested after they crashed.

Cotton told police that he had been fired from the restaurant the night before and wanted to scare people.

Cotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in December to a felony charge of attempting to commit arson.

Cotton also has pending charges in St. Charles County Circuit Court related to the attack.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A felon on probation for a gun crime pleaded guilty Wednesday and admitted being caught with another firearm in December.

Trenier Roosevelt Jackson, 22, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted being the passenger in a speeding vehicle pulled over by Cape Girardeau police on Dec. 1, 2022. After the vehicle stopped, Jackson immediately got out and walked away. The officer asked Jackson to return, but he ran away again when the driver said he had a gun and officers said they would search for weapons.

Jackson dropped a bag containing a stolen Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and multiple forms of identification as he ran. He was arrested a short distance away. At the time, Jackson was on probation after having been convicted of unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. on July 27. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Darrell D. Meador, Jr., 38, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 11 years in federal prison for the offense of possession of child pornography.

Meador appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Meador, of Advance, in Stoddard County, Missouri, began serving a term of supervised release in 2018 following his release from federal prison for a prior child pornography conviction, according to court documents. Last May, Meador’s probation officer discovered images of child pornography on a cell phone Meador was using.

At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Meador admitted that he used the cell phone to search for child pornography over the internet. After serving his 11-year sentence, Meador will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He will also be required to continue registering as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a convicted felon from Butler County, Missouri who threatened both a driver and bar patrons with a gun to 66 months in prison.

Donald Edward Christie Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea, he admitted possessing a firearm on two occasions on Feb. 12, 2022. 

The first was reported to the Butler County Sheriff’s Department about 15 minutes past midnight. A driver said they were followed from a gas station by someone the driver believed to be a law enforcement officer in an SUV. After the victim pulled over, the SUV driver exited with appeared to be an AK-style rifle, chambered a round and demanded that the victim turn off their vehicle and provide ID. The gunman returned, gave back the victim’s ID and said, “You never saw me, and I never saw you,” the plea agreement says.

About 30 minutes later, deputies received another call, this time from a rural bar reporting a man brandishing a firearm. When deputies arrived, they found bar patrons holding Christie down. Witnesses told deputies that he’d entered the bar and become confrontational with the occupants. He had a pistol in his pocket and the bartender asked him to leave. Christie said that he had a “machine gun” in his vehicle and was going to get it and kill them, the plea says.

The bartender tried to hold the door shut when Christie returned, but he pushed his way inside. Using what appeared to be a rifle, Christie ordered the occupants to move behind the bar. He was taken down from behind by a patron, and patrons and the bartender disarmed him. He was in possession of a 9mm Striborg SP9A3 semi-automatic pistol with a brace, which resembled a short-barreled rifle or submachine gun, and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol. 

The case was investigated by the Butler County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man arrested by police after a shooting in St. Louis was indicted in U.S. District Court this week on gun and fentanyl possession charges.

Robert Eutz III, 43, was indicted Wednesday on five felonies: two counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The crimes are alleged to have occurred on February 1 and 21 of 2022 and March 30, 2023.

A criminal complaint filed March 31 says officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called to a shooting in the 3500 block of Lafayette Avenue on March 30 and were told that someone in an older model Chrysler shot a victim multiple times. Police also were given a partial license plate number. Police stopped a Chrysler with a license plate matching that number a short distance away, and arrested Eutz, who was identified as the shooter by a witness. Eutz also had ammunition, spent cartridges and a safe in the car.

A motion seeking to have Eutz held in jail until trial says he has a pending drug charge in St. Louis Circuit Court related to a February 2022 arrest, in which he is alleged to have possessed a large quantity of fentanyl.

The felon in possession charges carry a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, and the fentanyl charge carries a 20-year maximum. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime charge carries a mandatory minimum term of at least five years in prison, consecutive to the other charges.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from New York state has been indicted in federal court in St. Louis and accused of selling counterfeit Xanax on the dark web.

John Cruz, 29, of Rochester, was indicted March 1 on one count of conspiracy to misbrand, introduce misbranded drugs and sell counterfeit drugs. He was arrested March 15 and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday by Zoom. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The indictment alleges that using cryptocurrency, Cruz bought bulk quantities of counterfeit generic alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, from another person on the dark web who has sold millions of the pills. That person manufactured the pills using active drug ingredients from China, a pill press and stamps that would mimic the markings used on pills produced by manufacturers licensed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The pills were delivered to Cruz in Rochester, New York and he then redistributed the pills to various customers, the indictment alleges.

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 case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Friday sentenced a man to 18 years and eight months in prison for a carjacking and other crimes.

Joshua Thomas, 31, admitted being one of two men who stole a 2020 Jeep Cherokee from a woman outside a home in the 4100 block of Camellia Avenue in St. Louis on Oct. 19, 2019. Thomas, who was armed with an AR-15-style firearm, demanded entry to a nearby home and searched it before stealing the car.

Two days later, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives spotted Thomas and tried to stop him at a market located at the intersection of South Spring Avenue and Delor Street. Thomas sped off in a Kia Optima. Police used a spike strip to deflate the tires, but Thomas kept going, eventually crashing near the intersection of Walsh Avenue and South Grand Boulevard. Thomas discarded a Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol before running away. Police also found drugs, an AR-style pistol loaded with 59 rounds of ammunition and a stolen AK-style pistol loaded with 31 rounds in the car. 

Thomas also admitted possessing ammunition on Sept. 30, 2019, the same day a man who was hiding in some bushes in the 3800 block of South Spring Avenue in St. Louis began firing shots at a group of people, hitting one person. Witnesses identified Thomas as the shooter, his plea agreement says. 

Thomas pleaded guilty in January to six felonies: carjacking, possession and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a stolen firearm and being a felon in possession of both a firearm and ammunition.

In August, Judge Pitlyk sentenced Thomas’ co-defendant, Jeremiah Couch, 32, to 15 years in prison. Couch pleaded guilty to two carjacking charges, a charge of possession of a stolen firearm and a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted involvement in the Jeep Cherokee carjacking, as well as carjacking a man’s 2007 Ford Edge and his money at gunpoint on October 21, 2019 in the 4700 block of South Spring Avenue in St. Louis. Couch also admitted stealing the AK-47-style pistol from the shooting victim on Oct. 17, 2019.

The case was investigated by the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinksi prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – Three Romanian citizens have pleaded guilty to federal charges in St. Louis and admitted running a “short-change fraud” in stores across the country.

Loredana Angel, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Thursday to felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and illegal reentry of an alien. Daniel Rostas, 30, pleaded guilty Wednesday and Legenda Rostas, 28, pleaded guilty March 1 to the same charges. Loredana Angel and Legenda Rostas told authorities that they are sisters and that the Rostas are married.

All three admitted engaging in sleight of hand to defraud Target stores since 2017 while buying various denominations of Visa gift cards. When purchasing the cards, they would display the full purchase price in cash, then fold over a portion and keep it while handing the rest to store employees. They would target younger or less experienced employees and wire the money they made to family in Romania. 

Target records show Legenda Rostas was involved in $224,666 in fraud at stores throughout the country, her plea agreement says. Angel admitted involvement in about $83,865 in fraud. Records show Daniel Rostas wired about $62,534 to Romania and elsewhere. 

All three also admitted entering the country illegally. Angel was removed from the United States on June 24, 2019. Daniel Rostas was removed twice, on Nov. 13, 2019 and Oct. 14, 2020. Legenda Rostas was removed on Dec. 28, 2020.

Arnold, Missouri police were initially alerted to Daniel Rostas on Oct. 14, 2022 by a Home Depot loss prevention officer. Officers later questioned Angel and Legenda Rostas. All three gave fake names and false identification to police. They were traveling with multiple license plates in their minivan, and police also found cash, gift cards and Western Union receipts. All three agreed as part of their plea to forfeit the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, $10,567 in cash and $11,300 in prepaid Visa gift cards.

Legenda Rostas is scheduled to be sentenced May 31 and the co-defendants on July 24. The conspiracy charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The reentry charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Arnold Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Stoddard County, Missouri on Thursday admitted being involved in a conspiracy to sell devices that convert AR-15-style rifles into fully-automatic weapons.

Edward Hardin, 41, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.  to a charge of conspiracy to distribute machine guns. Sidney Brianne Scowden, of Stoddard County, pleaded guilty in February to the conspiracy charge and three counts of transferring a machine gun.

Both admitted that Scowden sent a Snapchat message to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Aug. 3, 2022 offering to a sell a “lightning link,” or device that converts a semi-automatic AR-style weapon into a fully-automatic weapon. Scowden said she was selling the link on behalf of someone else. 

Eight days later, Scowden sold three of the devices for $1,500 to the informant, saying her source bought a link for $10,000 and made copies. Scowden sold three more devices on Sept. 19, 2022 and another on Oct. 19, 2022. Investigators were able to determine that Hardin was Scowden’s source.

Scowden is scheduled to be sentenced May 9. Hardin is set to be sentenced July 13.

The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. The transfer charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Both carry a possible fine of up to $250,000.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge and admitted possessing more than 63,000 images and videos containing child pornography.

Christopher D. Cotton, 32, admitted uploading files containing child pornography to Dropbox, which triggered a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and 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.

Cotton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Wednesday to one count of receiving child pornography. The charge carries a potential penalty of from five years to 20 years in prison. Cotton could also be fined up to $250,000.

The case was investigated by the Maryland Heights Police Department, the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit 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 Maryland Heights, Missouri who engaged in sexual activity with a 16-year-old he met online was sentenced Wednesday to 11 ½ years in federal prison.

Terry E. Kuehnel, 48, met the girl, who was then 15, in 2021 while playing an online game. She initially represented herself to be a young adult, but later told Kuehnel she was 15. He admitted in a guilty plea in December to a felony charge of coercion and enticement of a minor that he knew or had reason to know that the girl was a minor and it was not reasonable for him to believe she was older than 16.

The two began corresponding via text and audio and video communications, including 246 phone calls, one lasting 14 hours, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said in court Wednesday. Kuehnel also requested pornographic images of the victim.

On June 5, 2021, ten days after she turned 16 and obtained her driver’s license, the victim and Kuehnel arranged for her to travel from her home to Missouri. Kuehnel met her in a department store parking lot and took her to his home, where he subjected her to unlawful sexual activity.

After her family reported her missing, law enforcement found the girl at Kuehnel’s home on June 6.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey, the victim’s parents said she has “distanced herself from almost all of her friends at school,” has suffered from anxiety and is in counseling with a licensed clinical social worker specializing in sexual abuse and trauma. The parents also thanked law enforcement, writing, “It is very possible that our daughter would still be missing if it were not for the hard-working Law Enforcement officials who stepped up to the plate that night and are still stepping up today.”

The case was investigated by the Maryland Heights Police Department and the St. Louis County 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A woman from Dunklin County, Missouri appeared in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau Wednesday to face charges accusing her of aiding in the theft of $565,000 from a victim located in Texas.

Sheri L. Reeves, 53, of Kennett, was indicted by a grand jury April 4 on one count each of bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. She pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.

The indictment says Reeves acted as a money courier or “money mule,” someone who transfers money obtained by fraud to others.

On June 9, 2020, Reeves opened an account at a Bank of America branch in Jonesboro, Arkansas that she would later use to receive the proceeds of various fraud schemes executed by others, the indictment says. She also added the name of another person to the account. That person was the victim of an account take-over fraud, in which conspirators used fraudulently-obtained account information to access the account and transfer $565,000 to Reeves’ account, the indictment says.

Reeves sent the proceeds from the various frauds to others using cashier’s checks obtained in Tennessee and Arkansas and via a CoinFlip cryptocurrency ATM in Dunklin County, the indictment says. She also sent the account information to others and withdrew or attempted to withdraw the proceeds in cash or by check, it says.

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

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn is prosecuting the case.

If you believe you are participating in a money mule scheme, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center at ic3.gov or contact your local FBI office.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier who stole two checks in St. Louis, Missouri to five years of probation and ordered him to repay $33,996.

Judge Fleissig also ordered Marquan Long, 28, to complete 40 hours of community service. The advisory sentencing guidelines ranged from probation to six months behind bars.

Long pleaded guilty in January to theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Post Office. He admitted that on May 30, 2019, while working as a carrier in St. Louis, he stole two envelopes containing checks from the mail. A Long associate deposited a $29,019 check into an account belonging to Long’s girlfriend at a credit union.  That check was mailed to an address in south St. Louis.

The second check, for $4,977, was originally mailed by a St. Louis woman and deposited into an account in Chicago about two weeks later.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane, who prosecuted the case, told Judge Fleissig in court Tuesday that Long had violated the trust of the public, who rely on the mail to conduct business.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from California admitted traveling to Missouri to have sex with a teenage girl and was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison.

Edson S. Ortiz, 30, of Napa County, pleaded guilty at the start of Tuesday’s hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday to one felony count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He admitted that he began communicating with the Missouri teen over Snapchat and WhatsApp. On Oct. 23, 2020, Ortiz flew from California to St. Louis. The next day, at a hotel in Chesterfield, Ortiz engaged in illegal sex acts with the girl, who was then 16. Ortiz was 27.

He also recorded the sexual contact on his iPhone. That video, as well as pictures, were discovered after a January 2021 search of his home that was triggered when Ortiz uploaded child sexual abuse material to Snapchat. 

The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit, the Napa County (California) Sheriff’s Office 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 caught by St. Louis police with two guns in a stolen vehicle after a police chase ended in a crash was sentenced Monday to eight years in federal prison.

Eric Davis, 31, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in December in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that he was driving a stolen 2016 Jeep Cherokee on May 4, 2021 when he was spotted by officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Police tried to stop the Jeep in a parking lot, but Davis accelerated recklessly and sped away. Officers then successfully deployed a spike strip, but it did not stop Davis. After he ran a red light at the intersection of Kingshighway Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, the Jeep collided with another vehicle, disabling it. The driver of that other vehicle sustained a head injury and required medical assistance.

Police found a Glock .357-caliber pistol and a stolen American Tactical Omni Hybrid AR-style pistol, both with large-capacity magazines, in Davis’ car. Davis admitted possessing the weapons and admitted that he told his girlfriend, who was also in the vehicle, to hide a baggie containing prescription pills including oxycodone. Davis has several prior felony convictions and had bench warrants for his arrest at the time of the crash.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Belleville, Illinois was sentenced Thursday to 100 months in prison for a 2020 carjacking in St. Louis.

Darrell Gilkey, 26, was one of two men who carjacked a 2019 Dodge Charger on Sept. 19, 2020. A man and a woman were unloading items from the Charger on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis when a red Toyota drove up, the occupants pointed a gun at the victims and demanded the Charger’s keys. The robbers then ordered the victims to remove their shoes and lie on the ground before the Toyota and the Charger were driven away. 

Gilkey pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

In addition to his prison time, which will begin running Thursday, Gilkey was ordered to pay $31,251 in restitution for the Charger, which was totaled.

Gilkey has been in jail since 2020, when he was indicted on 21 felony charges in St. Louis Circuit Court. He is accused of the carjacking as well as a series of robberies of wallets, phones and other items from June 26, 2020 to Sept. 9, 2020.

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

ST. LOUIS – An ex-employee of the U.S. Postal Service has been accused in an indictment of stealing checks from the mail and then depositing them in her own account.

Porcia Denise Rhodes, 26, of St. Louis, Missouri, was indicted March 8 on four counts of bank fraud and one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service. She appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

The indictment alleges that between July 26, 2022 and Sept. 22, 2022, Rhodes stole checks from the mail, replaced the payee’s name on the check with her own and then used a mobile device to deposit them. Rhodes altered and deposited or attempted to deposit 21 checks totaling $5,035, victimizing 21 people and 13 financial institutions, the indictment says.

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

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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Lane is prosecuting the case.