Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – A former Potosi, Missouri police officer appeared in federal court Thursday to face charges of sex trafficking, solicitation of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.

Matthew N. Skaggs, 39, was indicted March 29 and arrested Wednesday. The indictment alleges that between January 1 and August 10 of 2022, Skaggs enticed or solicited three minors into engaging in a commercial sex act, solicited a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and attempted to persuade a minor to engage in sexual acts.

A motion seeking to have Skaggs held in jail until trial says he gave vape cartridges to one minor in exchange for pornographic images, paid another via CashApp not to reveal sexual abuse and sexually abused a third minor. Skaggs met the alleged victims through his work as a police officer or committed sex acts while on duty or in uniform, the detention motion says.

Anyone who believes they are a victim or has information about other offenses is asked to call the Missouri Highway Patrol at 573-751-3313.

The sex trafficking and coercion charges are each punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. The solicitation of child pornography charge carries a minimum five-year term and a maximum of life in prison. All also are punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

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 Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Florida caught with more than $12,000 in Walmart gift cards that he’d bought using stolen bank account information pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal felony.

Juseph Eugene Suero-Olmeda, 23, admitted using stolen bank information to purchase Walmart gift cards. He then shipped the cards to an associate in Florida. 

The Wright City Police Department stopped Suero-Olmeda’s vehicle for speeding on Oct. 3, 2021, and found the gift cards, which had recently been purchased from Walmart stores in Wentzville, Lake St. Louis and St. Peters, Missouri. Each gift card had a value of $480.

Suero-Olmeda pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross. to one count of unauthorized use of an access device.

He is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Suero-Olmeda has also agreed to pay restitution.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Wright City Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, the St. Peters Police Department, the Wentzville Police Department and the Lake St. Louis Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A bookkeeper from Shrewsbury, Missouri on Wednesday admitted embezzling $849,000 from a client.

Cora G. Willard, 47, waived her right to an indictment by a grand jury and pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one felony count of wire fraud. Willard ran a bookkeeping, payroll, and money-management assistance company called Red Hen Business Services. In May of 2019, Willard was hired to do the bookkeeping for a man who operated a money management business. The victim provided Willard with access to his bank accounts and financial records to enable her to perform her duties, including paying his bills.

Willard admitted that from at least Nov. 29, 2019 through June 10, 2022, she stole $849,000 from that client.

Willard made nearly 100 unauthorized wire transfers to herself from the victim’s bank account. Many of the wire transfers occurred after the victim asked Willard to close the account. In addition, instead of making tax and bill payments authorized by the victim, Willard sent those payments into bank accounts that she controlled, then sent false balance sheets to her client.

After the client discovered that he was missing large amounts of money, Willard blamed one of her employees, her plea says. 

Willard is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Willard will also be ordered to repay the money and has agreed in the plea to do so.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing two pipe bombs and methamphetamine.

Douglas Moore, 47, of Byrnes Mill, was stopped by a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department on May 11,2021, while driving a 2004 Suzuki Aerio with expired license plates. He had an active warrant. After his arrest, the deputy found the pipe bombs and methamphetamine in the car.

Moore was on probation at the time and has pending charges in Ste. Genevieve County and Jefferson County circuit courts.

Moore pleaded guilty Wednesday in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White to one felony count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Moore is scheduled to be sentenced in July. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. 

The case was investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced John Andrew Schoolcraft, 32, of Kennett, Missouri, to serve 15 years in federal prison for the offenses of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

At a guilty plea hearing in January, Schoolcraft admitted that beginning in May of 2022 and continuing through June 23, 2022, he and others were involved in distributing methamphetamine throughout Dunklin County, Missouri.  The Missouri State Highway Patrol utilized confidential informants and audio and video recording devices to conduct controlled drug buys of methamphetamine from Schoolcraft and others involved.  The case culminated in the execution of a search warrant at Schoolcraft’s residence in Kennett where officers seized over four pounds of methamphetamine, a loaded Glock, .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and $2,785 in cash.

This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, assisted by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – A man from California pleaded guilty to a federal charge in St. Louis, Missouri Wednesday and admitted sending pictures of his genitals to a Missouri teen.

Colin M. Lind, 43, of San Diego County, California, met the 15-year-old girl and her family while he and his family were on vacation in Florida in the summer of 2021. After returning to Missouri, the teenage girl began receiving text messages from Lind. Lind admitted as part of his plea agreement sending a series of messages asking for pictures of the girl. He also sent two pictures of his genitals that he had taken in a hotel bathroom and a text saying, “you turn me on so much!!”

The teen told authorities that Lind placed his hand on her genitals while they were in Florida.

Lind pleaded guilty to a felony count of transfer of obscene material to a minor.

Lind is scheduled to be sentenced July 20. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Frontenac Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A tax preparer from Jennings, Missouri on Tuesday admitted preparing at least 23 fraudulent tax returns that created losses of more than $500,000.

Darius D. Cobb, 51, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to two felony counts of aiding in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return.

Cobb admitted preparing at least 200 tax returns for the tax years 2017 and 2018. In at least 23 of the returns, Cobb included some false information: fake W-2 forms with false wages and withholdings, false Schedule C forms reporting profit or loss from a business, false claims for the American Opportunity Credit for educational expenses and false information about dependents.

In one example in the plea agreement, Cobb included a business loss of $14,024 for one taxpayer even though the taxpayer was not a business owner.

The total losses from Cobb’s crimes were approximately $517,021, the plea says.

Cobb is scheduled to be sentenced July 11. The crime carries a maximum penalty for each charge of 3 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Cobb has also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS.

The case was investigated by IRS - Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man caught trying to bring 100 pounds of methamphetamine to the St. Louis, Missouri area was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison.

Dawuane Lamont Rhodes Jr., now 25, was arrested in October 2020 with $15,005 in cash, an assault-style weapon and a pistol when he tried to pick up the methamphetamine at a University City garage. 

Law enforcement was waiting because a Geary County, Kansas sheriff’s deputy had stopped a van heading to St. Louis from Colorado and found two duffle bags containing roughly 100 pounds of methamphetamine.

Demond Bernard McDaniels Jr., 27, of St. Charles, had arranged for Rhodes to do the pickup. After he was told that Rhodes didn’t show, McDaniels brought $6,930 in cash and jewelry to the pickup location.

Investigators later found $93,820 in cash and a pistol at McDaniels’ home.

McDaniels and Rhodes pleaded guilty in November in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. They agreed to forfeit the money seized during the investigation as well as two Dodge Charger Hellcats and a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A former police department employee in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted injuring a handcuffed jail inmate.

Edward Lamar Barber, 42, was a prisoner processing clerk at St. Louis’ City Justice Center at the time. On July 11, 2019, after an inmate, “M.J.,” struck another clerk, a corrections officer used pepper spray and placed M.J. on the floor, Barber’s plea agreement says.

M.J. became compliant, was handcuffed and then Barber and the corrections officer took M.J. to a cell. M.J. did not have any injury to his face when he went into the cell, Barber admitted in his plea. While in the cell, Barber “put his hands on M.J. and forced him to the ground. As a result, M.J. suffered fractures to his nose and orbital wall,” the plea agreement says.

Barber pleaded guilty Monday in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a civil rights charge. Barber admitted willfully violating M.J.’s right to be free from unreasonable force.

Barber is scheduled to be sentenced July 6. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Friday sentenced Daniel K. Hendrickson, 31, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to serve a total of 10 years in federal prison for the offenses of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on Sept. 16, 2021, officers with the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Hendrickson's Poplar Bluff home. Hendrickson was present during the execution of the search warrant. Officers seized from his residence and a shop building located on the property approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine, 64 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and three firearms. Hendrickson admitted to law enforcement officers that he sold methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Ballwin, Missouri on Thursday admitted distributing child pornography and engaging in sexual contact with underage girls he’d approached on Snapchat.

Luke Edward Nicozisin, 22, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Nicozisin admitted sending nude images of himself to three 15-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl, soliciting nude pictures of a 15-year-old and having sex with two 15-year-old girls. He also recorded videos of himself having sex with one of the 15-year-olds. Nicozisin initially approached the girls via Snapchat.

One of his victims reported Nicozisin to a school resource officer on July 28, 2021, prompting Nicozisin’s initial arrest.

Other victims came forward that October. On Oct. 20, 2021, a court-approved search was conducted of Nicozisin’s home, and investigators found an iPhone containing multiple pictures of videos of himself with one of the victims as well as condoms that depicted Nicozisin’s Instagram account.

At his sentencing, scheduled for July 7, Nicozisin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.

The FBI, the Manchester Police Department and the Chesterfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man caught twice in St. Louis, Missouri with guns and fentanyl after police chases that ended in crashes was sentenced Thursday to 10 years and 10 months in prison.
 
Geno Armstrong, 28, pleaded guilty Nov. 30, 2022 to two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of one or more drug trafficking crimes.

He admitted that he and three others, Deondre Hill, Terryon McDonald and Phillip Robinson, were spotted on Oct. 12, 2021 in a stolen Audi A8 by members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Anti-Crime Task Force Using spike strips, task force officers flattened the two front tires but McDonald sped off. Hill threw a gun out of the front passenger seat window on Goodfellow Avenue during the chase. The Audi eventually crashed into a concrete planter and electrical signal at Goodfellow and Delmar avenues.  McDonald, Hill and Robinson fled on foot. Armstrong was found in the rear of the Audi with a Kel-Tec 5.56 rifle with a large capacity magazine and a Coach man bag containing fentanyl. Cash totaling $6,779 and methamphetamine was also found in the car.

On Nov. 5, 2021, after another crash, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers found a Glock .40-caliber pistol, marijuana and fentanyl in a Chevrolet Malibu that Armstrong had been driving.

Armstrong’s co-defendants have also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.

Hill, 30, of Georgia, was sentenced January 5 to seven years in prison on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of one or more drug trafficking crime.

McDonald, 20, of Florissant, was sentenced February 28 to three years in prison on charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Robinson, 28, of St. Louis was sentenced February 28 to five years in prison on one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Hazelwood, Missouri on Tuesday admitted involvement in a series of schemes that cost or intended to cost victims a total of $404,415.
 
Naquan Powers, 27, pleaded guilty to four felony counts of bank fraud and three felony counts of aggravated ID theft in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp. 

Powers admitted buying three vehicles from a Florissant dealership between June 24, 2019 and August 23, 2019 and using fraudulent Social Security cards and driver’s licenses to apply for loans. After buying an Chevrolet Impala with a $18,098 loan, a $42,086 Chevrolet Tahoe and a BMW 428 XI for $29,079, powers was arrested trying to buy a Dodge Challenger with a $38,191 loan. The total intended loss for the four vehicles is $127,454

In 2018 and 2019, Powers accessed multiple Discover Bank accounts belonging to other people and changed information in these accounts so he could receive debit cards and bank checks for the accounts. Powers’ intended loss for this scheme was $11,754.

After his arrest, Powers aided at least four others in making or attempting fraudulent purchases of vehicles at multiple vehicle dealerships throughout the St. Louis and southern Illinois areas, causing a total loss of $244,374. 

Then, in 2020 and 2021, Powers applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan and four Economic Injury and Disaster Loans pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), claiming he was a sole proprietor in the general freight trucking industry. Powers submitted a fraudulent tax form and a bank statement and received $20,832 in PPP funds.

Five others involved with Powers’ schemes have also been charged.

Powers is scheduled to be sentenced June 30. The bank fraud charges carry a potential sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both prison and a fine. The aggravated ID theft charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of two years consecutive to all other sentences.

The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri was indicted Wednesday and accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Devon Williams at a Cool Valley gas station in January.

Bryant Pirtle, 20, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on three felonies: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

A motion seeking to keep Pirtle in jail until trial says two people shot Williams early on the morning of January 29, 2023 after he tried to buy marijuana from them at the BP gas station at 1790 South Florissant Road. They then ran Williams over while driving away. 

Police arrested Pirtle on March 22, 2023, after he and others fled in a stolen car from the same gas station where Williams was murdered. The car contained $4,500 in cash, about one pound of marijuana, two digital scales, baggies and two AR-15-style rifles, one of which was stolen. 

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis, Missouri on Monday pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and admitted committing both check fraud and pandemic fraud.
 
Nikia A. French, 30, admitted recruiting people on Instagram who were willing to let French use their bank accounts.  French created counterfeit checks, deposited them in the accounts to which she had access and then watched until the bank made the money available. She then withdrew money or made debit card purchases before the bank learned that the checks were bogus.

Between February 2022 and April 2022, French deposited or attempted to deposit counterfeit checks totaling at least $73,515 and received at least $34,109 in proceeds. 

In the pandemic fraud scheme, French submitted two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications in April of 2021, seeking a total of about $23,000 as a self-employed person. She falsely inflated her gross income, submitted false documents and lied about not having been convicted of a felony involving fraud in the last five years. She used the money at restaurants and clothing stores and took some out in cash, according to her plea agreement.

At her August 4 sentencing, French could face up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both.

In a 2019 bank fraud case, French was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to repay nearly $62,000.
 
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted impregnating a minor and sexually abusing her when she was in foster care.

Edward Wiseman, 43, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two felonies: coercion and enticement of a minor and solicitation of child pornography. He admitted sexually abusing a minor for multiple years and impregnating her when she was 14. After she was placed in foster care, Wiseman sent her naked pictures of himself and requested the same from her and met her to have sex when she was 16.

He initially lied to authorities when questioned about the rape and impregnation of the girl.

That victim’s younger sister told authorities that Wiseman had also sexually abused her. Wiseman disputes those allegations.

Law enforcement officers later found child pornography on Wiseman’s phone.

At his August 4 sentencing, Wiseman could face at least 10 years and up to life in prison for the coercion charge and at least five years and up to 20 years for the child pornography charge. Wiseman is also facing charges including statutory rape and statutory sodomy in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

The U.S. Secret Service, the North County Police Cooperative and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from Kirkwood, Missouri on Tuesday admitted repeatedly possessing firearms after having been committed to a mental institution, in violation of federal law.

Joseph Zarky, 24, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to two counts of possession of a firearm after being previously committed to a mental institution.

“Police encountered Mr. Zarky behaving erratically while in the possession of firearms, a bloody knife, and animal parts,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming after Tuesday’s hearing. “After each encounter, he would try or succeed in buying more firearms and ammunition. This plea agreement is designed not to send him to prison, but to ensure that he receives the medication and treatment that he needs for the maximum amount of time we can provide. The felony conviction will also serve as an additional barrier if Mr. Zarky attempts to buy guns in the future.”

As part of his plea, Zarky admitted being caught by police with firearms on multiple occasions.

On June 1, 2021, Webster Groves Police Department officers responding to a report of an unstable person encountered Zarky, who was acting erratically and was in possession of multiple firearms, ammunition, and several plastic bags containing animal body parts. Relatives told police that he had a history of mental illness and they were concerned for his and their safety. More guns, ammunition and weapons were found in his bedroom. Police took Zarky to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. After a June 10, 2021 court hearing, Zarky was ordered involuntarily committed to a hospital for treatment. He remained there until June 25.

On July 2 and July 7 of 2021, Zarky unsuccessfully tried to purchase firearms in a store.

On July 28, 2021, Webster Groves police conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of South Old Orchard Avenue and Big Bend Boulevard and recognized Zarky from previous interactions. They asked Zarky if he had any guns and he said he did. He had a .22-caliber revolver in the waistband of his shorts and a 9mm pistol in a bag on his left hip. He said he bought the firearms at a gun show.

On September 30, 2021, Webster Groves police were called again about Zarky. Officers found Zarky in a wooded area nearby, and he ran from officers. When police caught Zarky, they found him in possession of a knife with animal blood on it. He was again taken to the hospital and later ordered by a judge to be involuntarily committed to a hospital for treatment, where he stayed until October 20, 2021. While he was hospitalized, relatives found an AR-15 rifle hidden under a comforter in the backseat of Zarky’s vehicle.

On January 29, 2022, St. Louis County police received a call for “shots fired” at a disc golf course in Unger Park. Officers were told about 24 shots had been fired. Upon arrival, officers found Zarky with a 9mm pistol in his waistband and a .22-caliber rifle nearby.

Zarky was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 4, 2022 and arrested in Kentucky May 7. He has been in jail since that time.

On May 9, 2022, federal agents executed a court-approved search of Zarky’s apartment in Kirkwood and found fifteen guns and over 4,000 rounds of ammunition in two safes.

As part of the plea agreement, both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Zarky’s lawyer have agreed to recommend a series of measures to ensure that Zarky undergoes treatment and is compliant with all prescribed mental health medications. The agreement recommends five years of probation, during which time Zarky will participate in a location monitoring program and reside in a residential facility approved by the U.S. Probation Office.

Zarky also agreed to participate in the Janis C. Good Mental Health Court, where participants receive treatment, counseling and resources from trained professionals to address persistent mental health issues, while at the same time being intensively supervised to ensure that they comply with the conditions of probation.

The sentence is ultimately up to Judge Fleissig. Zarky is scheduled to be sentenced July 10.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Friday sentenced a man from St. Louis, Missouri to ten years in prison on gun and methamphetamine charges.

Mosley Jumon Williams, now 32, was accused on March 28, 2019 of kidnapping an elderly man at gunpoint to learn the location of William’s ex-wife, who had an order of protection naming Williams. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Williams, but could not find the gun until Williams called his girlfriend from jail and told her in to hide the gun in a closet.

Williams’ girlfriend allowed officers to search their apartment. They found a .45-caliber, HS Produkt handgun with a flashlight-laser combination, which the elderly man identified as the gun used in the kidnapping, as well as 42 tablets containing methamphetamine and a digital scale.

Williams pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to a felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of possession of methamphetamine.

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

ST. LOUIS – A Franklin County, Missouri man has been accused of a federal criminal sex act with a minor.

Scott M. Arnold-Micke, 46, was indicted March 22, 2023 on one count of transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act.

He appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday, after his arrest, and pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday for a detention hearing.

The indictment alleges that from approximately the spring of 20l8 through the fall of 2020, Arnold-Micke transported a child who was as young as 11 with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The charge carries a potential penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A motion seeking to have Arnold-Micke held in jail until trial accuses him of continuously sexually assaulting at least six other minors. Arnold-Micke traveled into seven states with minors to engage in sexual intercourse, the motion says. The alleged victim listed in the indictment sought medical treatment after Arnold-Micke knocked teeth out of the minor’s mouth for refusing to engage in sexual intercourse, the motion also says.

Any other potential victims are asked to contact the FBI in St. Louis at 314-589-2500 or call the Rolla Police Department at 573-308-1213 and ask for a detective.

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 Rolla Police Department, and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.  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 Wednesday admitted defrauding business customers of Lowe’s of over $1 million.

Michael W. Burrus, 44, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud. Burrus acknowledged that the conspiracy caused a total loss of $1.6 million.

Burrus admitted that from April of 2020 through November of 2021, he and others obtained stolen information for business customers of Lowe’s, including names, telephone numbers, addresses and credit card account numbers. Burrus used the information to gain access to the credit card accounts of the businesses, applied for additional credit cards and changed the mailing address on the accounts. Burrus then made purchases with the credit cards, all without the knowledge and consent of the businesses. Burrus and others charged more than $1 million worth of merchandise to 40 businesses.

Burrus is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29. Each charge carries a potential penalty of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both. He will also be ordered to repay the money.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man caught with methamphetamine and fentanyl to 10 years in prison.

Antoine Demetrius Meeks, 31, was caught by the O’Fallon Police Department with 208 grams of methamphetamine and 26 grams of fentanyl during an August 19, 2022 traffic stop.

Meeks pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in December to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was on federal supervised release at the time of the drug offense after a conviction in a 2015 case for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case was investigated by the O’Fallon Police Department, the St. Ann Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Wednesday admitted robbing and assaulting an escort at gunpoint in 2021.

Antwan R. Johnson, 24, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge John A. Ross to an armed robbery charge and a charge of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Johnson admitted using Megapersonals.com to arrange a meeting with an escort in the 4200 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue in St. Louis on August 17, 2021. While in the escort’s car, Johnson pulled a gun from his waistband and robbed her of her purse, which contained two cell phones and cash.  He then struck her in the head with the gun, threatened her life and fired two shots at her vehicle as it drove away, striking the vehicle once, his plea agreement says.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced June 27. He faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison for the gun charge, consecutive to the robbery charge, which carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Both sides have agreed to recommend a 10-year sentence.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Iron County, Missouri on Tuesday admitted committing an October crime spree that included arsons in the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri and the assault of a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer.

Lucas G. Henson, 37, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. to three counts: assaulting a law enforcement officer, arson and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Henson admitted that after being charged with stealing and drug offenses last year, he was out on bond when he stole a Ford van on Oct. 22, 2022 from Patriot Rentals near Poplar Bluff, Missouri before abandoning it when it ran out of gas. Later that day he broke into a camper at Poplar Bluff RV Sales and stole items from it.

The next day, he stole a Dodge pickup truck, then burglarized someone’s home and stole a Ruger LC9 9mm handgun. He stole a crossbow from a workshop near the home.

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

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

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

The fires burned a total of 7.61 acres of land. Burn orders were in effect at the time due to the dry and windy conditions, and Henson’s fires kept leaping over the fire lines established by fire fighters. Crews eventually had to construct “dozer lines” to contain the fire and spent $7,228 fighting the fires.

Henson is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau on June 28. The assault charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The arson charge carries a mandatory minimum of 7 years with a maximum of 20 years and the gun charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. All charges also carry a possible fine up to $250,000.

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

ST. LOUIS –A woman from Florissant, Missouri was sentenced to a year in prison for fraudulently obtaining two pandemic-era loans totaling more than $101,000.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White also ordered Lakenya M. Hobbs, 40, to repay $101,567 to the Small Business Administration. 

Hobbs defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to help them save jobs during the pandemic. On March 12, 2021, she submitted a loan application containing false and fraudulent information that resulted in the issuance of a $81,223 loan. Hobbs did not use the money to save jobs but instead at electronic stores and restaurants and for airfare. She also took some out in cash. On Oct. 1, 2021, she successfully applied for loan forgiveness, falsely claiming she’d used the PPP money for payroll. 

On May 27, 2021, Hobbs submitted a fraudulent loan application to a different banking institution and received a $20,344 loan. She was also granted forgiveness for this loan.

Hobbs pleaded guilty in November to one count of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud.

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

ST. LOUIS – A woman from Hillsdale, in St. Louis County, Missouri was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for engaging in a scheme to deposit tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit checks created with information from stolen U.S. mail.

U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig also ordered Tyra G. Robinson, 21, of Hillsdale, to repay victims $10,859. Robinson will be on supervised release for five years after her release from prison. 

In her guilty plea in November to four felony counts of bank fraud, Robinson admitted depositing or attempting to deposit counterfeit checks totaling more than $40,000. She received at least $22,000 via the scheme from at least ten financial institutions. She also admitted possessing counterfeit checks belonging to at least ten victims. 

Robinson would deposit counterfeit checks typically ranging from $4,0000 to $10,000 into bank accounts. The information Robinson used on the counterfeit checks came from checks stolen from the U.S. mail. She then withdrew the proceeds before the banks realized the checks were bogus. Robinson recruited bank account holders on Facebook and Instagram with promises of kickbacks if they let Robinson deposit the checks into their accounts. Co-conspirators also recruited account holders for Robinson. 

On March 10, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to pull over a vehicle that Robinson was driving because it was wanted in connection with a burglary. Robinson refused to pull over and fled at a high rate of speed. While trying to get on the highway, she struck another vehicle, causing significant damage to that vehicle. After the crash, officers found a purse with about $11,527 in cash, a gun and multiple bank cards and checks in names other than Robinson's inside her vehicle. Police turned over the evidence to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service who conducted a financial investigation of Robinson’s activity.

“Through her mail theft scheme, the defendant was able to steal thousands of dollars from hard-working postal customers, some of whom continue to deal with the financial repercussions caused by her actions,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Chicago Division.  “The swift joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department put an end to her illegal activity.  Our agencies will continue to work together to bring justice to victimized citizens of St. Louis.”   

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU  –  The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Cameron Melton Malone, 30, of Sikeston, Missouri, was sentenced Monday to serve a total aggregate sentence of 125 months in federal prison for the offenses of felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Malone appeared for his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge John A. Ross at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

At a guilty plea hearing in December, Malone admitted that on June 12, 2022, he attempted to flee from law enforcement officers in the City of Sikeston after an officer attempted a traffic stop. During a high-speed pursuit, Malone left the roadway and traveled through a parking lot where numerous people had gathered for a party, causing the crowd to run and scatter to avoid being hit. After the vehicle came to rest, Malone fled on foot and was later apprehended hiding in some bushes. He was taken into custody but struggled with officers when being placed in the patrol vehicle. Malone’s vehicle was searched, and a quantity of marijuana, packaged for sale, and a loaded Diamondback AR-15 semi-automatic rifle was seized from the vehicle. The firearm was loaded and ready to fire, with 35 rounds in the magazine and a round in the chamber. Malone is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law because of his status as a convicted felon, including a prior firearms offense for carrying a concealed weapon in 2012 and an assault conviction in 2019.

After serving the 125-month sentence, Malone will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years.

This case was investigated by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri state employee on Monday admitted abusing her position to send $140,500 in unearned unemployment benefits to friends, relatives and others.

Vicky Hefner, 63, of Jefferson County, Missouri, was working for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Employment Security as a benefit program specialist at the time of the crimes, which occurred from July to December of 2020. As part of her guilty plea to one count of theft of public money, Hefner admitted logging into the accounts of approximately eight friends, relatives and associates to either make them eligible for unemployment benefits when they were not otherwise eligible or increase their benefits. She also backdated some claims to increase benefits and changed the status of some who were receiving pandemic-related unemployment assistance to regular unemployment assistance to fraudulently increase the benefits they received, the plea says.

Hefner had worked at the agency since 2009.

At her sentencing, scheduled for June 22, Hefner could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. She will also be ordered to repay the money.

The case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General at both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis pleaded guilty Thursday to five federal felonies and admitted harassing and threatening to rape five women.

Robert D. Merkle, 54, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to all the counts he was facing: two counts of interstate communication of threats and three counts of cyberstalking. He admitted harassing women in the St. Louis area and across the country for months, while he was on parole for similar crimes with different victims.

The federal investigation began in January 2022, after a woman told the Town and Country Police Department that a man she’d met on a dating site more than seven years earlier sent a series of text messages in which he said he’d made a copy of her house key and was planning on breaking into her home two days later and raping her.

The FBI obtained a court-approved search warrant for Merkle’s home and cell phones, and discovered that he’d used emails, multiple cell phones and a service that can send texts anonymously to harass women.

Merkle met several of the women on dating sites and worked with another woman.

Both sides have agreed to recommend the maximum penalty for the crime, five years in prison, at Merkle’s sentencing. That sentencing is scheduled for June 21. Merkle still faces a pending felony charge of harassment in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

Merkle was charged with harassment in 2017 and 2018 in Jefferson County Circuit Court and St. Louis Circuit Court, resulting in a three-year prison sentence. Merkle was living in a halfway house in St. Louis at the time of his federal crimes. 

The FBI, the Town and Country Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Glen Ellyn (Illinois) Police Department and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Gulfport Police Department in Mississippi investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., sentenced Keith Lamar Dunlap to 15 years in federal prison today for robbing the Citizens Bank of Sikeston on October 30, 2020.   Dunlap, now 56, was also sentenced to serve a consecutive term of 12 months in federal prison for violating his supervised release in a 2013 bank robbery case. 

Dunlap pleaded guilty on October 6, 2022, to the bank robbery charge. He admitted robbing Citizens Bank of Charleston on Oct. 30, 2020 after handing a note to a teller stating, “give me all stacks of $100 and $50 or I will shoot you.”

Dunlap was pulled over by the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Sikeston in a vehicle matching the description of the one used in the robbery. As stated in the plea agreement, a trooper found another threatening note in the vehicle as well as the cash taken in the robbery.

Dunlap was twice previously convicted of bank robbery in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, in 2009 and 2013, for robbing banks in St. Louis and St. Louis County, respectively.

The FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Sikeston Department of Public Safety investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Hahn handled the prosecution for the government. 

ST. LOUIS –A man from Lake St. Louis, Missouri has been indicted and accused of pointing a laser at a Metro Air Support helicopter in the St. Louis area.

David Gammil, 44, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 8 on one count of aiming a laser at an aircraft. Gammil’s indictment says the incident occurred on February 23.

Gammil was arrested Wednesday and made his first appearance in court, where he pleaded not guilty.  

The charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. For years, the FBI and aviation authorities have warned that lasers can blind pilots, and the incidents are on the rise. The Federal Aviation Administration reported 9,457 incidents in 2022, including dozens which resulted in reported injuries.

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

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

ST. LOUIS – A felon from Ferguson, Missouri who was caught with a gun after fleeing from police in St. Louis was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

On July 19, 2021, Anthony Willis, now 30, fled from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers who tried to pull him over after he failed to stop at a stop sign in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood.

Willis drove past another stop sign before other officers used spike strips to deflate his tires. He kept driving until he hit another vehicle at Goodfellow and Natural Bridge, then got out and ran. He was caught a short distance away. Willis left a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun in the car.

As a convicted felon, Willis is barred from possessing a firearm. Willis was convicted of the 2010 robbery of a Del Taco in St. Louis and the robbery of a Popeye’s Chicken manager in St. Louis County on two occasions in 2010. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was on parole at the time of the police chase. Due to his prior convictions, he was considered an “armed career criminal,” which meant he faced a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. 

Willis was found guilty by a jury November 16 of a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Martin and Donald Boyce are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Clayton, Missouri who sought and received nude pictures of minors, including pictures of an 11-year-old from Kentucky, was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in federal prison followed by the remainder of his lifetime on supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White also ordered Jason W. Fine, 50, to pay a $50,000 fine and special assessments of $45,000 that will go into a fund for victims and prevention programs. Judge White called Fine’s case the worst case of its type that he’d encountered.

Fine pleaded guilty in November to two felonies: soliciting child pornography and receiving child pornography.

Fine admitted as part of his plea that between July 1, 2021 and Sept. 2, 2021, while pretending to be an 11-year-old girl, he requested and received nude pictures of the 11-year-old Kentucky girl on Kik Messenger.

In an interview with law enforcement on June 14, 2022, Fine said he had communicated online with multiple minors and that a few had sent him child pornography.

In court Wednesday, the victim’s mother told Judge White what it was like to discover that Fine preyed on her daughter by posing as a girl “doing horrific things and asking our daughter to do those same things,” the mother said.

The discovery of his crime wreaked “absolute devastation” on the victim and her family, the mother said, asking for serious prison time for Fine. “Knowing he is behind bars ensures that he can’t take advantage of young girls. He can't prey upon them and use them as toys. He can't manipulate them, solicit or use them,” she wrote in a letter to Judge White.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson pointed out that Fine used his undergraduate degree in psychology to manipulate children into sending him pictures and videos, and did not assist law enforcement in identifying his other victims so they could be helped. Anderson said Fine’s supporters described his crime as pornography addiction, but “It is pedophilia. It is sadistic child abuse.”

The St. Louis County Police Department the Campbell County (Kentucky) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A doctor from Moberly, Missouri pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges and admitted falsely using his father’s name to bill Medicare and Medicaid for medical services. 

Dr. Justin G. LaMonda, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of making false statements related to health care matters.

Dr. LaMonda admitted as part of his plea that he and his father agreed to bill Medicare and Missouri Medicaid for services performed by Dr. LaMonda as if they had actually been performed by Dr. LaMonda’s father, who was also a doctor.

The Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts suspended Dr. LaMonda’s medical license for 30 days effective Aug. 10, 2017 after he was accused of engaging in sexual activity with his office manager and prescribing her controlled substances “without sufficient examination and outside of the usual course of professional practice,” the plea says.

On Dec. 20, 2018, a Medicare administrative contractor revoked his Medicare Part B privileges after determining that he submitted reimbursement claims for services performed when he was suspended. Then, on Sept. 12, 2019, the Missouri Medicaid Audit and Compliance Unit terminated his Medicare provider number.

Dr. LaMonda admitted that as early as Dec. 20, 2018, he and his father agreed to bill Medicare for services performed by Dr. LaMonda as if they had been performed by his father. After Dr. LaMonda’s Missouri Medicaid billing privileges were terminated, the pair expanded their scheme to include Medicaid claims, the plea says.

Dr. LaMonda instructed his billing personnel to use his father’s unique billing provider number on claims for payment, on referrals to other health care providers and on orders for durable medical equipment, falsely claiming that the father had performed the medical services or ordered additional equipment or treatment, the plea says.

When payments were received for services performed by Dr. LaMonda, his father would transfer the funds to Dr. LaMonda, the plea agreement says.

Dr. LaMonda admitted causing total losses of $537,322 to Medicare and Missouri Medicaid.

At sentencing, Dr. LaMonda could face up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced Chayce Harrell, 21, of Cairo, Illinois, to 42 months in federal prison for his role in a 2020 gun store burglary in Cape Girardeau County and ordered him to pay $1,700 in restitution.  
  
Harrell pleaded guilty in December in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to the offense of aiding and abetting the theft of firearms from a federally licensed dealer.  According to the plea agreement, Harrell and two accomplices broke into a business in Cape Girardeau County known as JSE Surplus in the early morning hours of August 7, 2020.  After forcing entry into the building, the group began gathering multiple firearms from the inventory to steal.  Unfortunately for the burglars, however, the owner of the business was staying upstairs to keep watch on the property due to several recent reports of gun store burglaries in the area.  The owner quickly went downstairs and opened fire at the burglars with a shotgun.  The three accomplices escaped unharmed, but dropped all but two firearms as they scrambled out the door.  

According to court documents, Harrell was identified as a suspect nearly two years later as part of an ongoing investigation. Harrell co-defendant Senque S. Bingham has also been charged. 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. Court documents further reflect that the third accomplice has been identified as a juvenile.

This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester is prosecuting the case.  As in all criminal cases, co-defendant Senque Bingham is presumed to be innocent unless and until his guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted assaulting two deputy U.S. marshals in 2021 and selling methamphetamine.

Emilio Justin Sandoval, 34, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of assaulting an officer of the United States.

The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Sandoval’s drug sales in December 2019 and learned that he was storing and selling methamphetamine by the ounce out of his home in the 4400 block of Dewey Avenue in St. Louis. Sandoval sold two ounces of methamphetamine on Oct. 20, 2020 for $1,000, which led to a consensual search of his home and the discovery of five baggies containing a total of 545 grams of methamphetamine as well as three guns and $11,234 in a safe.

After Sandoval was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Aug. 25, 2021, the U.S. Marshals were tasked with arresting him. On Nov. 10, 2021, they found him at his home. While the marshals were watching, Sandoval and his significant other ran to a vehicle and tried to escape, ramming marshals’ vehicles multiple times and injuring two of the deputy marshals. One suffered serious injuries to his left knee, left elbow and left hand. The other was struck by the open passenger door, knocked down and dragged by Sandoval’s vehicle. She suffered serious, permanent and life-threatening injuries to her head, neck and spine. 

As part of the plea, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 27 years in federal prison. Sandoval is scheduled to be sentenced June 27.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. 

ST. LOUIS – A tax preparer from St. Louis County has been indicted by a federal grand jury and accused of falsifying 11 tax returns from 2018 to 2021 by adding a total of $252,577 in fraudulent deductions.

Elisa Y. Brown, 57, was indicted February 22 on 11 counts of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. The indictment says she falsely represented that the taxpayers were entitled to deductions for items including medical and dental expenses, gifts and unreimbursed employee expenses.

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

“This indictment serves as a reminder to choose a return preparer carefully, said IRS – Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas Murdock of the St. Louis Field Office.  “While dishonest return preparers use a number of ways to cheat the government, it’s still the taxpayer’s responsibility to know what is on their return.”

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 IRS - Criminal Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy is prosecuting the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a former nurse at a St. Louis County, Missouri hospital to four years of probation for fraudulently obtaining fentanyl for her own use.

From Jan. 18, 2020 to Feb. 2, 2020, Lindsay J. Maupin, of Cape Girardeau, fraudulently obtained fentanyl from a Pyxis machine for her own use on multiple occasions. Maupin was working at Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County at the time.

Pharmacy staff flagged Maupin for withdrawing two to three times more fentanyl than her peers, and she tested positive for fentanyl, court documents say.

Maupin, 31, pleaded guilty in October to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Sestric prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – A man from Montgomery City, Missouri was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp ordered the sentence to run consecutive to whatever Austin E. Pearson, 23, receives on a pending state case. Judge Schelp also ordered Pearson to pay $39,500 restitution to the victims that have been identified in the child sexual abuse material he possessed. After his release from prison, Pearson will be on supervised release for life.

Pearson pleaded guilty in November to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He admitted possession of over 60 files containing child pornography in a Google account, 68 videos in his Dropbox account and more than 200 files on his iPhone and hard drives. Among the victims appearing in those files were children who appeared to be toddler-age being sexually assaulted, Pearson’s plea says.

The case was investigated by the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a man from Waterloo, Illinois who embezzled $339,844 from his employer to three years and five months in prison and ordered him to repay the money. 

Ronald Scott Miller, who was the warehouse and labor supervisor for a small floor covering business in St. Louis County, worked for the company for 25 years. Beginning March 27, 2014, he used several schemes over the next six and one-half years to steal, “again and again and again,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman said in court Thursday.

Miller submitted false timesheets for his partner, who did not work for the company. He then collected his partner’s paycheck and forged his partner’s signature to deposit the money in his own account, his plea agreement says.

Miller falsely inflated the hours worked by his son without his son’s knowledge and did the same for himself by falsely claiming he was working on installation projects. 

Miller also submitted fraudulent invoices claiming he’d made purchases at two fake companies and paid himself with company credit cards or caused the company to issue checks to pay the fake invoices. 

Finally, Miller altered and inflated receipts for legitimate purchases that he made and then sought reimbursement from his company. 

Miller, then 54, pleaded guilty in September to one count of wire fraud.

The FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU –  April M. Rulo, 47, of Branson, Missouri, was sentenced Tuesday to 8 years in federal prison for the offense of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Rulo appeared for her sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

At a guilty plea hearing last year, Rulo admitted that she was in possession of 95 grams of methamphetamine that she had picked up from her supplier in Springfield, Missouri, and was delivering to Piedmont, Missouri, for distribution to others. On June 22, 2022, a confidential source alerted law enforcement officers that Rulo was bringing several ounces of methamphetamine into Wayne County and would be arriving at a convenience store in Piedmont to deliver the narcotics. A Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force Officer made contact with Rulo, and she consented to a search of the vehicle she was traveling in. Officers located four baggies of methamphetamine packaged for distribution, marijuana, and Hydrocodone pills.

This case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

CAPE GIRARDEAU– A man from Pemiscot County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted possessing a machine gun after a shootout in 2022.

Jamaal L. Jackson Jr., 20, of Caruthersville, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. to one count of possession of a machine gun.

On Aug. 23, 2022, the Caruthersville Police Department responded to a shootout between two groups in the city. Jackson admitted being among the group standing on a corner and shooting at a vehicle that was driving past. That group then fled to Jackson’s girlfriend’s house, where police later found a backpack containing Jackson’s identification and a Glock 19 pistol with a drum magazine. The pistol had jammed with 16 rounds left in the magazine, Jackson’s plea agreement says. It also had part of a “Glock switch,” which converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon, attached. Another part of the switch was found at the scene of the shooting.

Jackson was indicted in November.

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

The Caruthersville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU - Jaleel D. Gipson, 31, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for the offenses of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

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

At a guilty plea hearing last year, Gipson admitted that following a traffic stop and vehicle search on June 11, 2022 in Ripley County, Missouri, a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol found 233 grams of methamphetamine, 126 grams of marijuana and two 9mm semi-automatic pistols. Gipson further admitted that the firearms, fully loaded with ammunition, were for the protection of the narcotics that he intended to distribute to others. After serving his sentence in the Bureau of Prisons, Gipson will be on supervised release for a period of four years.

This case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter handled the prosecution for the government.

ST. LOUIS – A man from East St. Louis, Illinois was arrested Tuesday after having been indicted on machine gun and drug charges.

Anton Bolden, 28, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 1 and appeared in court Tuesday. He is facing four felonies: possession of a machine gun, possession with the intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon.

The indictment accuses Bolden of possessing and transferring a machine gun on February 3, the same day he’s accused of the drug and gun crimes.

A motion seeking to have Bolden held in jail until trial says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned in January that Bolden was selling Glock pistols that had been modified to be fully automatic via an aftermarket conversion device, also known as a “Glock switch.” An undercover ATF special agent bought a switch-equipped Glock in St. Louis for $1,400, as well as more than five grams of fentanyl.

In court Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin said 12 firearms were found after Bolden’s arrest, including eight Glock pistols. One of the pistols was equipped with a switch, and three other switches were found that were not installed, Martin said. Glock switches are considered machine guns under federal law, even if not installed in a firearm.

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

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

ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday sentenced a man from St. Louis County, Missouri who submitted nearly $980,000 in fraudulent applications to a pandemic relief loan program to five years and 5 months in prison.

Terrell Alexander, 46, received $777,400 in loans, but more than $200,000 has been recovered. Judge Ross ordered Alexander to repay the $511,600 remaining.

Alexander admitted submitting 10 fraudulent applications to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans and advances from the Small Business Administration. The applications contained fraudulent information about the size and ownership of the businesses, the number of employees and revenue. Some of the businesses existed but others were fictional or inactive. Alexander used Social Security numbers belonging to others on applications, including one belonging to a child. He also used a fake name and fraudulent driver’s license on other applications and real people’s names and information, sometimes with their knowledge.

The money was supposed to go businesses that had been negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“You weren’t just stealing from the government,” Ross told Alexander in court Friday. “You were stealing from people who needed this money and didn’t get it because there wasn’t enough.”

Alexander pleaded guilty in November to ten counts of wire fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of unlawful transfer of an identification document and one count of theft of government property.

“Terrell Alexander misused and fabricated Social Security numbers to defraud CARES Act benefit programs,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “He fraudulently obtained over $770,000 from programs intended to assist businesses and individuals facing economic disadvantages due to the pandemic.  This sentence holds him accountable for these egregious acts. My office will continue our work with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice.  I want to thank the FBI, SBA-OIG for their work in this joint investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke for prosecuting the case.”   

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Peters, Missouri has been indicted and accused of selling the same vehicle multiple times online and defrauding other vehicle owners in a scheme that allegedly cost victims at least $300,000.

Ronald Johnson, 55, was indicted February 15 on two felony counts of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud. He pleaded not guilty February 24 and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Friday at a hearing that could determine if he is jailed until trial.

The indictment says Johnson owned a car restoration business known as Full Out Customs LLC, and from December 2021 to December 2022 sold a 2002 Ford Excursion to multiple people via social media, including Facebook. He also received payment from people who were seeking repairs on vehicles, but never did the work, the indictment says. 

Johnson ordered equipment to repair vehicles but never paid, or post-dated checks drawn on closed accounts or accounts with insufficient funds, the indictment says. He also falsified car titles, emails and other documents to further his scheme, it says.

The indictment says Johnson used victims’ money to take vacations with his girlfriend and to fuel a gambling habit.

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

The case was investigated by the St. Charles Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A lawyer from St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday admitted faking legal documents and forging judges’ signatures in cases involving at least 30 clients.

Andrew Gavin Wynne, 35, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to five felony counts of identity theft. 

Wynne admitted that while representing at least 30 clients, he created fictitious documents with forged signatures of judicial officers in St. Louis and St. Louis and St. Charles counties. Included among those were bogus court orders, judgments and emails authored by at least ten separate judges, Wynne’s plea agreement says, some of which purportedly awarded money to his clients.

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

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

On both occasions, Wynne told his clients not to discuss the documents that he’d sent.

Wynne admitted that his crimes caused a loss of between $250,000 and $550,000.

On Oct. 27, 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court suspended Wynne’s law license after the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel said there was probable cause to believe he posed “a substantial threat of irreparable harm to the public” due to misconduct. He was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Feb. 9, 2022. 

Wynne is scheduled to be sentenced June 1. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 million fine or both. 

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

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri who served as an administrator in an online meeting room where child sex abuse material was traded was sentenced Thursday to eight years and one month in prison.

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp also ordered Michael Morales, 49, of Manchester, to pay $38,000 in restitution to victims who appeared in the pictures and videos.

Morales pleaded guilty in November to two felonies: receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He admitted that he served as an administrator in a meeting room on the Kik social media app known for trading child sexual abuse material, and posted pictures and videos there in 2020. He also admitted possessing pictures and videos containing those materials on his cellphone.

The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – A former reality show star was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for arranging the murder of his nephew in St. Louis, Missouri in 2016 for money. 

James Timothy Norman, 43, was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in September of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Andre Montgomery Jr. on March 14, 2016.

Norman and Montgomery appeared on the reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s. Norman took out a life insurance policy worth $450,000 on Montgomery, then arranged through intermediaries for his nephew’s murder at 3964 Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis.

“Tim Norman sought to make $450,000 by having his nephew, Andre Montgomery, killed. Instead, he was caught and will spend the rest of his life in prison. Although Andre’s family was robbed of their loved one, hopefully this result will provide some measure of peace and justice for them,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming.

“Tim Norman portrayed one image to the public, but there were more sinister intentions lurking underneath,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Angie Danis during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.  “And the measure of someone’s character is what they do when they think no one is watching.  When he thought no one was watching, he planned the execution of his nephew and carried it out.”

“Five families, especially that of the victim, are suffering and irreparably harmed as a result of Norman’s plot to have his own nephew murdered,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division. “At least all his co-conspirators have accepted responsibility. To this day, Norman hasn’t accepted responsibility despite the fact 12 jurors unanimously convicted him after seeing and hearing seven days of evidence in trial.”

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross sentenced the shooter, Travell Anthony Hill, of St. Louis, to 32 years in prison in October. Hill now 31, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire and admitted fatally shooting Montgomery with a .380-caliber handgun after being told of his location by a woman who knew both Montgomery and Norman. Hill was later paid $5,000.

The woman, Terica Taneisha Ellis, now 39, from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to three years in prison in January. Ellis pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire conspiracy charge and admitted that Norman paid her $10,000 to find Montgomery and pass on his location. Ellis admitted knowing Norman was going to take some form of action, but she did not know Montgomery would be shot.

A fourth person, insurance agent Waiel “Wally” Rebhi Yaghnam, was sentenced to three years in prison in November. Yaghnam pleaded guilty to a charge of wire and mail fraud conspiracy and admitted fraudulently helping Norman apply for multiple insurance policies beginning in October 2014. Yaghnam then helped Norman file a claim on Montgomery’s life insurance policy after Montgomery’s death.

The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis and Gwendolyn Carroll are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man arrested at a St. Charles County motel with an assault rifle and a ballistic vest labeled “Police” pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges Thursday.

Brett A. Stone, 42, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel to two counts of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On July 7, 2020 members of the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force learned that Stone was selling drugs at a St. Charles County motel and had a gun. Investigators conducted surveillance and saw Stone walking around the outside of the hotel, carrying an assault-type weapon and wearing a ballistic vest with the words “Police” on the back, Stone’s plea agreement says.

The investigators then detained someone who left Stone’s hotel room and found about 12 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a firearm.

Stone was taken into custody outside his hotel room, and a woman who told authorities she was there to buy methamphetamine was arrested inside the room. A court-authorized search of that room found a stolen AR-15 rifle, a shotgun, a muzzle loader pistol, the ballistic vest, ammunition, a money counter, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Stone was released while charges were being sought.

On Oct. 13, 2020 a confidential informant bought $300 worth of methamphetamine from Stone. 

Stone is scheduled to be sentenced June 1. The methamphetamine charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. The gun charge carries a penalty of at least five years in prison. 

The St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – An employee of a St. Louis County realty company on Tuesday admitted embezzling $487,000 from her employer.

Crystal Hendrix, 49, of Festus, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to three counts of wire fraud. Hendrix admitted to hatching a scheme to defraud her former employer, a real estate company.

Hendrix handled payroll as part of her duties and had access to the company bank accounts. From about Jan. 8, 2018 to Dec. 9, 2020, Hendrix sent over 140 payments from the company bank account to her own bank account, totaling approximately $483,037. Hendrix used the money at restaurants and to buy a vehicle, her plea agreement says.

As part of her guilty plea, Hendrix agreed to forfeit money and property equal to the amount of her fraud. At her sentencing, set for June 1, she will be ordered to repay the money.

The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Dowd III is prosecuting the case.