Eastern District of Missouri

St. Louis, MO – JASMINKA ROMIC, Rockford, Illinois, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States by conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and designated foreign terrorist organizations. She entered her plea of guilty earlier today in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry. Sentencing has been set for January 5, 2016.

If convicted, the crime of Conspiracy to Commit Offenses Against the United States carries a penalty ranging up to 5 years imprisonment and/or a fine up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentence, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the St. Louis FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U. S. Postal Inspection Service, St. Louis Metropolitan and St. Louis County Police Departments, with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Drake, Howard Marcus and Kenneth Tihen of the Eastern District of Missouri and Mara Kohn, a Trial Attorney in the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice.

St. Louis, MO – ANGEL BAILEY-DYSON, a tax preparer who worked for Tax King, a local tax preparation business, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and ordered to pay $28,694 restitution to the IRS.  Bailey-Dyson previously pled guilty to preparing false tax returns for customers for tax years 2011 and 2012.  The false returns minimized the customers’ liability and thereby maximized the customers’ tax refunds.

Bailey-Dyson, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty in June to four felony counts of filing false tax returns.  She appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

St. Louis, MO – A St. Louis businessman, KENNETH HUTCHINSON, pled guilty to one count of bankruptcy fraud and admitted to lying about his income and assets in relation to his 2014 bankruptcy case filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

According to court documents, Hutchinson failed to disclose his real estate and business holdings, as well as the bank accounts he maintained and controlled, in his 2014 bankruptcy petition.  In addition, Hutchinson misrepresented his personal income and failed to identify funds he withdrew from business accounts for his personal use.  Hutchinson made these false declarations and statements in relation to his Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, knowing them to be false, and did so with the intent to deceive his creditors, the trustee and the bankruptcy judge.

Hutchinson, St. Louis, pled guilty to one felony count of bankruptcy fraud before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  Sentencing has been set for December 7, 2015.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Charles Birmingham is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

St. Louis, MO – JUSTIN PAYNE pled guilty to destroying the St. Louis County Police Association website through a distributed denial of service attack.

According to court documents, on December 2, 2014, the group "Rebel But Gangster Black Rebels," aka RBG Black Rebels, promoted a cyber-attack against the St. Louis County Police Association (SLCPA) website on Twitter.  An investigation by the FBI determined that the RBG Black Rebels’ Twitter account is solely operated and held by the defendant, Justin Payne.  His cyber-attack was in conjunction with the group Operation Ferguson, which claimed affiliation with the group Anonymous.

On December 2, 2014, messages were sent out on Twitter by the Defendant. These messages contained a link for a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on the SLCPA Website.  A distributed denial-of-service attack is an attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users.  All networks have a limited amount of connections that they can have at any one time.  The program distributed by the defendant exploited this limit by initiating as many connections with SLCPA website as possible to fill up the bandwidth.  This attack on the SLPCA website actually shut down the website.  On December 3, 2014, the St. Louis Division of the FBI confirmed a DDoS attack on SLCPA.org website and began an investigation.  The SLCPA provided FBI Agents with web logs detailing the IP addresses used in the attack.  A review of the logs determined the times of the attack coincided with the Twitter messages sent by Justin Payne via his RBG Black Rebels Twitter account.

On January 27, 2014, a review of Payne’s Twitter account revealed messages associated with killing law enforcement officers.  Through investigation, FBI agents determined that Justin Payne worked at the V.A. facility located at One Archives Way, St. Louis, Missouri.  After Payne was arrested for the DDoS attack, the FBI received a search warrant for Payne’s car.  During the search of Payne’s trunk, agents located a glass container containing a flammable liquid mix of gasoline, water and ethanol, which was later determined to be an improvised incendiary device, commonly known as a Molotov cocktail.

Payne, address unknown, pled guilty to one felony count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of damage to a protected computer before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  Sentencing has been set for December 7, 2015.

The firearm charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000 and damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and/or fines up to $100,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Protective Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Colleen Lang is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – JAMES MATTHEW ALEXANDER, the President of a local defense contractor, pled guilty to a scheme to defraud the United States related to the construction of shipping containers for use with the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.

Matthews Manufacturing, Incorporated (MMI) was a defense contractor that provided equipment to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the United States armed services.  MMI served as a prime contractor for multiple United States Government contracts.  Defendant Alexander was the President of MMI.

In June 2010, the Defense Logistics Agency, a component of DoD, awarded MMI a contract for the construction of fifty-six High Pressure Turbine Module Shipping Containers for use with the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.  The contract designated the container a "Critical Application Item."  Shock mounts are utilized in the construction of F414 High Pressure Turbine Module Shipping Containers.  The DLA contract with MMI specified and required that shock mounts be no older than one year old when installed in the container.

According to court documents, Alexander, as part of a scheme to defraud the government, altered the original white alpha-numeric marking indicating the actual cure date of the shock mounts MMI received from the manufacturer.  Original dates were “buffed” off and modified stamps were used to re-stamp the mounts with a cure date to comply with the contract specifications.  Alexander and MMI then shipped the containers with the altered shock mounts bearing false and forged cure dates to the government.  As a result of the fraud, payments by the government to MMI for delivered F414 High Pressure Turbine Module Shipping Containers totaled $120,536.

Alexander, Chesterfield, MO, pled guilty Thursday afternoon to one felony count of mail fraud before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.  Sentencing has been set for December 10, 2015.

Co-defendant Larry Charles Maxwell, Jr., St. Louis, MO, was indicted on related charges.  He is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Charles Birmingham is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – KEENAN THOMAS and BRANDON FOSTER were sentenced to 188 months and 144 months, respectively, on charges involving their participation in the October 16, 2014, theft of firearms from Allstar Pawn in Wentzville, Missouri.

According to statements made in court, Brandon Foster, Keenan Thomas and Eugene Davis broke into Allstar Pawn at 4:15 a.m. October 16th and stole 33 firearms -- 27 handguns and 6 rifles. On October 17, 2014, ATF attempted to arrest Foster and Thomas using three vehicles.  Rather than backing out, Thomas drove forward on the grass, turning right in an attempt to elude the agents.  He struck one of the ATF vehicles and then proceeded to back up almost striking an agent.  After one shot was fired by an agent, Thomas stopped his car.  Upon their arrest, agents recovered a Springfield Armory 9mm pistol equipped with an extended 33-round magazine on the floorboard directly under Foster. Foster admits the theft and possession of the 33 firearms from All Star and the purchasing of the ammunition and magazine from Cabela’s.

Thomas and Foster, St. Louis City, previously pled guilty and appeared Wednesday for sentencing before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry.         

Eugene Davis, St. Louis City, has also pled guilty to related charges and awaits sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Mehan is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – PETER PANOUZIS pled guilty to charges of mutilating and destroying United States Selective Service records of 50 or more individuals.  The records are part of the National Archives deposited and held at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

Through a partnership with Ancestry.com, the National Personnel Records Center is in the process of digitizing World War II era Selective Service records, including Draft Registration Cards and their attachments.  According to court documents, Panouzis was a contract worker hired by Ancestry.com as part of the National Archives’ Digitization Project Plan.  As such, Panouzis had access to original World War II era Draft Registration Cards and original attachments to those Draft Registration Cards, archived at the National Personnel Records Center.

Instead of scanning and digitizing all of the attachments to individual Draft Registration Cards, Panouzis mutilated and destroyed some of the attachments.  Specifically, on March 9 and March 11, 2015, Panouzis tore up the attachments rather than digitizing them.  He then stuffed the torn pieces into his work gloves and discarded the gloves in bins and trash cans in his work area.  On March 12, 2015, Panouzis made an off-site call to a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) archives technician who was working at the facility, and asked the technician to do him a “favor” and discard a glove on his desk, empty a bin on his desk and empty a trash can near his work area.  The glove, the bin and the trash can each contained archived records that the defendant had previously mutilated and destroyed.  Upon finding the archived records mutilated and destroyed by Panouzis, the technician immediately contacted a NARA supervisor.

Panouzis, East Alton, Illinois, pled guilty to one count of destruction of public records before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson.  Sentencing has been set for December 10, 2015.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)-Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Charles Birmingham is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – OLAJUWON DAVIS and BRANDON ORLANDO BALDWIN were each sentenced to 84 months in prison on charges of planning and conspiring to ignite explosive devices during the Ferguson protests and procuring firearms for convicted felons.

According to court documents, in August 2014, Olajuwon Davis, a member of the New Black Panther Party, became a frequent protester in Ferguson, Missouri.  During the protests, Davis met a fellow protestor by the name of Brandon Orlando Baldwin, who was employed at Cabela’s Inc., Hazelwood, Missouri. Cabela’s is a federally-licensed firearms dealer. Davis and Baldwin began to discuss how they could help arm some of the individuals taking part in the Ferguson protests.  Baldwin volunteered that he could use his position at Cabela’s, and thereafter, Davis related to several people that he could procure firearms for convicted felons through Baldwin at the Cabela’s store.  In fact, three such purchases were made: one on October 22, 2014, and two on November 7, 2014.

By early to mid-November, Davis and Baldwin’s talk of procuring guns had shifted into acquiring bombs.  The discussions included types of bombs, blast radius and cost. Public buildings, police vehicles and police were discussed as possible targets. Also mentioned as possible targets were the St. Louis County Prosecutor and the Ferguson Chief of Police.   On November 12, 2014, an undercover informant showed the defendants a recording of a controlled explosion that would be produced by the type of pipe bomb the defendants were talking about purchasing. The defendants requested a delivery date of Friday November 21, 2014.

On Thursday evening November 20, the arranged sale of three bombs was scheduled for shortly after midnight in the early morning hours of Friday.  The reason for the delay was so that one of the defendants would be able to withdraw an additional $150 from an ATM machine to complete the purchase price of $250 for the three pipe bombs.  The parties then met at a prearranged location in Hazelwood where the exchange of money for the three would-be bombs took place.  Immediately upon the exchange taking place, Davis and Baldwin were arrested.

Olajuwon Davis, St. Louis, pled guilty in June to one felony count each of conspiracy to damage or destroy a building, vehicle and other property by use of an explosive, conspiracy to make false written statements in connection with the purchase of firearms and the transfer of firearms to a felon and two felony counts of aiding and abetting in the making of false written statements in connection with a firearms purchase.

Brandon Orlando Baldwin, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty in June to one felony count each of conspiracy to damage or destroy a building, vehicle and other property by use of an explosive, conspiracy to make false written statements in connection with the purchase of firearms and the transfer of firearms to a felon and two felony counts of making false written statements in connection with a firearms purchase.  Both defendants appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan congratulated law enforcement for preventing what potentially could have been a major disaster.  "The disruption of this plot, coming as it did on the eve of the expected Grand Jury announcement, undoubtedly saved lives.  Luckily for all of us, we’ll never know just how many," he said.

"We are pleased both members of the New Black Panther Party, St. Louis Chapter admitted their guilt before the Court," said William P. Woods, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI St. Louis Division. "The ultimate satisfaction is that we prevented their violent acts during the Ferguson protests, which saved lives."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, St Louis County Police Department and the St Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

St. Louis, MO – DR. MEL E. LUCAS and PATTERSON MEDICAL CLINIC, INC. were sentenced for receipt of misbranded drugs and false statement charges respectively.  Both were sentenced to three years of probation.

In addition, Dr. Lucas and Patterson Medical Clinic entered into a civil settlement agreement with the United States to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims for payment to Medicare and TRICARE.  Pursuant to that agreement, they have repaid the United States $185,799.

According to court documents, Patterson Medical Clinic Inc., owned by Dr. Mel E. Lucas, made false statements in patient files in connection with the delivery of health care services.  Specifically, the clinic made entries on treatment forms so that the forms purported to represent that a physical exam had taken place on the date therein when no such exam had in fact taken place.

With respect to the misbranded drugs charge, according to court documents, from April 2009 to September 2011, Dr. Lucas repeatedly purchased Aclasta, a non-FDA approved drug used for the treatment of osteoporosis, online from two Canadian companies, Canada Health Solutions and Global Health Supplies.  Dr. Lucas paid about $749 for each bottle of Aclasta, which was several hundred dollars less than the price of a bottle of Reclast, which is an FDA- approved drug also used to treat osteoporosis.  The bottles of Aclasta had Italian and Turkish language on them, which was a clear indication that the drug was not intended for use in the United States.

Lucas, Chesterfield, MO, pled guilty in May to receipt in interstate commerce of misbranded prescription drugs.  Patterson Medical Clinic, Inc., pled guilty in May to false statements related to health services.  Both appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  Co-defendant Robyn Levy also pled guilty in May to receipt in interstate commerce of misbranded prescription drugs.  She is scheduled to appear for sentencing later this month.

This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorneys Reginald Harris and Suzanne Moore handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – RICKER BROOKS and ZONDRA JONES have been charged for their alleged preparation of false tax returns by overstating business expenses for the tax years 2009 and 2010.  Brooks owns Brooks Accounting Service, providing accounting and tax preparation services.  Jones owns Alliance In-Home Care Services, which provides home health care services to individuals.

The indictment alleges that after Jones reviewed the tax returns that Brooks prepared for her, she thought that the contract labor expense for her business was overstated.  Although there was discussion between the two of them regarding the overstatement, Jones and Brooks agreed to file the tax returns with the overstatement.  After the IRS began to investigate the returns, Brooks prepared false 1099 forms and check schedules, which falsely represented payments made by Alliance In-Home Care Services to contract employees.  Jones provided these false documents to the IRS.

Brooks, St. Louis County, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the US, and two felony counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return; Jones, Florissant, Missouri, was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy and two felony counts of income tax evasion. The indictment was returned August 19, but remained sealed until the arrest of Mr. Brooks earlier today.

If convicted, each count of conspiracy and income tax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and or fines up to $250,000; aiding in the preparation of a false income tax return carries a maximum penalty of three years prison and/or fines up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Steven Muchnick is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO – ANTHONY JORDAN, St. Louis, Missouri, was charged with multiple drug and weapons charges which resulted in the deaths of three area people.

According to the indictment, on December 29, 2013, Jordan shot and killed Robert "Parker G" Parker and Clara Walker in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ms. Walker was inadvertently struck by gunfire while she was inside her apartment at the time of the drug-related shooting.  Additionally, the indictment alleges that on January 21, 2014, again in furtherance of drug a trafficking crime, Jordan shot and killed Michail “Yellow Mack” Gridiron.

The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on August 26, but remained sealed until the arrest of Jordan earlier today. 

If convicted, the charge of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000; possession and/or discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death carries a range of punishment that includes life imprisonment. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan stated that this indictment is part of an on-going coordinated effort between his office, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, to address the rising homicide rate in the City of St. Louis. 

This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO – SHEILA AUBUCHON was sentenced today to twelve months and one day in prison on charges relating to her willful failure to file reports of more than $100,000 in cash transactions during her employment with Belgrade State Bank and her theft of funds from that same bank.

Aubuchon, Potosi, Missouri, pled guilty in March to two felony counts of purposefully causing Belgrade Bank to fail to file currency transaction reports, or CTRs, with the Internal Revenue Service, as required by federal law. Aubuchon appeared today in St. Louis for sentencing before United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.

The court found that Aubuchon had failed to report, as required by federal law, more than $100,000 in cash transactions between 2009 and 2010, and more than $76,000 of the funds she failed to report were funds she had stolen from Belgrade State Bank. Aubuchon admitted that she failed to report these transactions for the purpose of evading federal laws and regulations. According to court records, Aubuchon’s fraudulent conduct included 67 different transactions at Belgrade State Bank over the course of more than three years and affected more than 20 bank customers. Belgrade State Bank has fully compensated all identified victims for their losses.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Richard E. Finneran and Colleen C. Lang handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – RANDALL HINTON was the leader of a scheme to alter and counterfeit documents in order to obtain state issued motor vehicle titles for himself and others, and to obtain loans secured by motor vehicle titles.  Hinton, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced on August 11 to 136 months in prison; co-defendant JUSTIN CARTER, also of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced yesterday afternoon to 60 months in prison.  Six other co-defendants have been sentenced earlier this summer to sentences ranging from five years of probation to 37 months in prison.

According to court documents, the schemes involving the defendants resulted in financial losses to the State of Missouri, financial institutions, title loan companies and individuals.  As the documents were often altered to decrease the value of the vehicles or to change the state of residence of the vehicle owners to addresses in Illinois, the owners of the vehicles were able to evade paying the appropriate taxes and license fees to the Department of Revenue for the State of Missouri.  When Hinton removed the names of financial institutions which had financed the purchases of the vehicles from legitimate titles, Hinton and others were able to sell the vehicles to innocent purchasers, who were then unable to register the vehicles due to existing liens.

The final aspect of the scheme enabled individuals to use the altered documents to obtain motor vehicle title loans from companies located throughout the United States.  As a result of existing liens or the fact that the value of the vehicles was less than the defendants represented, the title loan companies experienced large financial losses.  Due to the removal of the names of the true lienholders for the documents, government analysts were only able to identify actual losses, which exceeded $311,000.  However, due to the number of vehicles that the government was able to identify as being used in the fraudulent scheme, the loss estimate was as high as $1,000,000.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the State of Missouri Department of Revenue, the State of Illinois Secretary of State and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St. Louis, MO – JAMES STALEY was sentenced to 84 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,313,568 on charges involving his scheme to defraud investors by making false promises of high rates of return and minimal risk.  With his April plea, Staley admitted to defrauding sixteen investors/lenders by causing them to invest over $3.3 million, giving him commissions totaling over $570,000.

According to court documents, in 2007 James Staley operated Wealth Financial International.  That same year, he became a sales agent for a Premium Financing Company located in California known as B & B Equity.  As a sales agent, Staley found individuals to provide loans for life insurance policies.  In many instances, several of these investor/lender’s funds were bundled together to provide financing to purchase one life insurance policy.  Staley received a commission for each investor/lender that he found to contribute financing for the purchasing of the life insurance policies. B & B required the lender/investor to invest in the insurance policy for a fixed period of time, varying from 18 months to two years.  During this period of time, Staley represented to clients of Wealth Financial that B & B Premium Financing Company would sell the bundled insurance policies on the open market with guaranteed returns. However, Staley was well aware that if B & B was unable to secure a buyer for the bundled insurance policies, his clients would lose all their monies invested in the Premium Financing product sold by B & B.

Staley, Wentzville, Missouri, pled guilty in April to four felony counts of wire fraud.  He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorneys Dianna Collins and Dorothy McMurtry handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St. Louis, MO – GWENDOLYN BROWN, of Town & Country, Missouri, admitted to filing a false income tax return in violation of 26 USC 7206(1), a felony.  Brown appeared this afternoon before U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie L. White in St. Louis.

Brown faces up to three years imprisonment, a fine of up to $100,000 or both at her sentencing which is set for November 13, 2015.  According to her plea agreement, Brown admitted to looting the coffers of the Church of Jesus Christ, a congregation in the City of St. Louis, of which her husband Alfred Brown is pastor, since 2008.  Brown also admitted to taking considerable income from a daycare facility - which is a ministry of the Church - while its director.  In addition to taking unreported cash, Brown admitted to not reporting payments towards luxury automobiles driven by her and her husband on her 2008, 2009 and 2010 taxes.

Alfred Brown has previously pleaded guilty to the same offense and was ordered to serve one year and one day in prison on Tuesday by Judge White.

St. Louis, MO – BRIAN PALUCH, former Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President of PARIC Construction was convicted of charges involving his scheme to use the company’s corporate funds to pay his own personal expenses during the period January, 2010 through February, 2014.

According to testimony presented at trial, Paluch used the PARIC-issued American Express card to pay for personal expenses, including personal travel, dining, spa charges, electronics and personal gifts for family and friends. In order to conceal his scheme, Paluch submitted false and altered financial summaries of the monthly American Express statements by deleting and altering his own personal charges. On several occasions, Paluch forged the PARIC President’s signature on these false financial summaries as purported authorization for the payments. Additionally, as part of his employment at PARIC, Paluch was permitted to join the Sunset Country Club, and PARIC paid the monthly membership dues. Paluch, on behalf of PARIC, entered into an agreement with Sunset for the purchase of various types of apparel and golf items containing the PARIC corporate logo. Paluch created sham and inflated Sunset Country Club invoices to pay for personal items at the club unrelated to the legitimate business of PARIC. In his position as CFO, Paluch was responsible for calculating the annual bonuses for PARIC’s employees, including his own. As a further part of his scheme, Paluch inflated his base salary in calculating his own annual bonus for several years. Additionally, during summer, 2011, Paluch directed the payment of $5,000 in PARIC corporate funds to a St. Louis area law firm as an incentive for that law firm to hire his niece as a summer associate.

Paluch, Kirkwood, Missouri, was convicted by a federal jury on three counts of mail fraud.  The six-day trial was held before United States District Judge Richard Webber.  Sentencing has been set for November 30, 2015.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys John Ware and Dianna Collins are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The victim, PARIC Construction Company, provided assistance in the investigation.

St Louis, MO – Federal indictments were returned today against seven defendants who are accused of unlawfully obtaining unemployment benefits through the Missouri Division of Employment Security. In each case, the indictments allege that the defendants applied for and received unemployment benefits which they were ineligible to receive. In some cases, the defendants allegedly underreported their income in order to appear eligible for benefits to which they were not in fact entitled. In other cases, the defendants allegedly claimed they were available to work when they were incarcerated at the time they applied for benefits. In two cases, the defendants are alleged to have conspired with others in order to carry out their crimes. The fraudulent benefits obtained by the defendants are said to range from as little as $3,840 to as much as $24,821.

The defendants named in today’s indictments are identified as ROCKSANN COFFMAN, of St. Louis, Missouri; BELINDA GRIFFIN, of Florissant, Missouri; MARK DAVID McKAY, of St. Louis, Missouri; KIRA McLAUGHLIN, of St. Louis, Missouri; KELLI PRIOR, of Wright City, Missouri; KRISTOPHER PRIOR, of Wright City, Missouri; and BRYANT HENRY WATKINS, of Dallas, Texas.

If convicted, each count of theft of government property carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

he cases are being investigated by the Missouri Division of Employment Services, and in some cases the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Richard E. Finneran is handling the cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO – KAMALDEEP SANDHU and NAVDEEP SANDHU, both residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, pled guilty today and were sentenced for distributing counterfeit, misbranded and adulterated Botox® into the United States, including multiple shipments to two doctors located in St. Louis County, Missouri.  Both defendants entered their plea before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson, in St. Louis, MO.  Kamaldeep Sandhu received a sentence of 24 months of imprisonment, while Navdeep Sandhu received a sentence of 3 months.

According to defendants’ plea agreements, defendants operated a sophisticated wholesale drug distribution business involving multiple persons in Canada, Panama and Turkey.  Defendants sourced Botox® from Turkey and shipped it to multiple U.S. doctors in Missouri and other states.  According to the label for FDA approved Botox® Cosmetic, unopened vials of Botox® Cosmetic should be stored in a refrigerator at temperatures between 2° to 8° Celsius before dispensing to patients.  Defendants’ drugs were adulterated because defendants’ business did not keep the Botox® Cosmetic at constant cold temperatures, and sometimes shipped and stored these drugs with no refrigeration or insulation.  Further, some of the Botox® Cosmetic sold by defendants had counterfeit exterior packaging, and the manufacturing lot numbers on the exterior of the drugs’ cartons did not match the lot numbers on the drug vials inside the cartons. 

FDA issued several public safety alerts about these events.  This ongoing investigation has led to a number of related prosecutions in the District, including Dr. Erick Falconer, Greg Martin, Ozkan Semizoglu and Sabahaddin Akman.

"Today's sentencing demonstrates that we will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who violate the law and jeopardize public safety by shipping adulterated and misbranded drugs into the United States," said Catherine Hermsen, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Kansas City. "I would like to thank our law enforcement partners in INTERPOL Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their assistance in this case."

This case was investigated by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, with assistance from a number of other domestic and foreign law enforcement organizations.

St. Louis, MO – An indictment was unsealed earlier today charging former Pine Lawn Lieutenant STEVEN BLAKENEY with criminal civil rights charges arising from his arrest in 2013 of a candidate for the office of Mayor of the City of Pine Lawn.

According to the indictment, on March 31, 2013, Blakeney, while a police officer with the City of Pine Lawn Police Department, conspired with others to cause the arrest of a mayoral candidate based on false allegations and without probable cause.  Blakeney ordered another person to falsely report that the mayoral candidate had stolen a campaign poster from a local business and then arranged for the candidate to be arrested.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan observed that the citizens of Pine Lawn deserved better of their public officials than they had been receiving and encouraged them to become more involved in their local government.

Blakeney was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on one felony count of conspiracy against rights, one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of records.  The indictment remained under seal until Blakeney was taken into custody today by the FBI.  Blakeney will have an initial appearance today before a United States Magistrate Judge.

If convicted, these charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Reginald Harris is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.          

As is always the case, 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.          

St. Louis, MO - SANDRA KAY BRYANT, St. Louis County, was sentenced today for her participation in setting fire to her family’s home in Florissant, Missouri, on November 16, 2001.  Bryant’s 15-year-old son became trapped in the basement and was killed during the fire.  Bryant pled guilty in March to one count of aiding and abetting the use of fire to commit mail fraud and unequivocally acknowledged and confirmed her participation in the arson scheme.

Bryant appeared today for sentencing before United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig.  Judge Fleissig imposed a prison sentence of 96 months and awarded Bryant credit for the 50 months she spent in jail during the state-level prosecution.

The 2001 fire was originally the subject of state prosecution in which Sandra Bryant was charged with murder by arson.  During the state trial, Bryant challenged her confession to detectives that detailed her involvement in the fire.  The judge declared a mistrial after ruling that certain evidence relating to a polygraph examination indicating deception by Bryant had mistakenly been shown to the jury.  The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately held that because the mistrial was declared over the defense objection, state prosecutors were barred from retrying the defendant in state court because of the United States Constitution’s “double jeopardy” provision.

Because the State was unable to proceed with its prosecution of Bryant, federal officials took over the investigation, and in October of 2011 a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging both Bryant and her ex-husband, Steven Kemper, for the 2001 arson.  Steven Kemper pled guilty in 2013 and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

Following Bryant’s sentencing this morning, U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan complimented the teamwork and persistence by the law enforcement agencies in staying the course on this long and difficult investigation and bringing both responsible parties to justice.

The investigation into this fire was initiated by the St. Louis County Police Department.  The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took up the investigation after the Missouri Supreme Court decision barring the retrial by state prosecutors.  The Saint Louis County Prosecutor’s Office also provided significant assistance.

St. Louis, MO – JOSEPH BROGAN was sentenced to 14 months in prison on multiple fraud charges related to a scheme involving applications for home loans.

According to court documents, Joseph Brogan was employed as a loan officer for USA Mortgage, Inc. where he handled both conventional mortgages and FHA loans.  Michael Wallis owned and operated a company known as Missouri Builders and Home Remodeling (Missouri Builders), which performed interior construction and remodeling work on houses.  Brogan, Wallis and others conspired to obtain loan funds by making false and fraudulent representations on home loan documents, including misrepresenting the source of down payments and misrepresenting remodeling expenses on HUD-1 forms and related loan documents.  Brogan admitted that on at least one occasion he provided $8,000 in funds toward a down payment, while knowing the loan forms and supporting documents falsely represented that the funds came from the nominal purchaser or a relative of the nominal purchaser.  Wallis’ company, Missouri Builders, received disbursements of loan funds based on the false HUD-1 forms and based on false invoices for remodeling expenses.  Wallis then paid Brogan from the illegally obtained loan funds.  Over the course of the conspiracy, Brogan received approximately $94,948 in payments from Wallis.

Brogan, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty in January before U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two felony counts of bank fraud.  He was also ordered to pay more than $350,000 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General and the Postal Inspection Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Reginald Harris is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – An indictment was returned today by a federal grand jury related to two separate drug-related homicides occurring in the City of St. Louis.

The indictment charges DIONNE GATLING and ANDRE RUSH for their involvement in the April 5, 2010, murder of Theodis Howard, and alleges that Mr. Howard was killed in retaliation for being a witness in a drug trafficking case.

The indictment further charges Gatling and Rush for their involvement in the May 2, 2013, murder of Terrance Morgan, and alleges that Mr. Morgan was killed in order to prevent Mr. Morgan from providing information to law enforcement regarding the commission of a drug trafficking offense.

The indictment also charges Dionne Gatling, Andre Rush and two other defendants, TIMOTHY RUSH and LORENZO GIBBS with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 5 kilograms of cocaine and over 1 kilogram of heroin.

This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Internal Revenue Service.

As always, 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.  If convicted, these various charges carry penalties that include possible life sentences of imprisonment.

St. Louis, MO – Two California men were arrested this morning in Los Angeles on charges of conspiring to import and distribute methamphetamine and cocaine into the St. Louis area via the commercial airlines.  A third man remains at large. 

POE PURCELL, CHALAMAR SCHULTZ TUIPELEHAK and FRANCIS FROST were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 8, 2015, on multiple felony counts, including conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and conspiracy to enter secured area of airport under false pretenses.  Purcell and Tuipelehake were arrested in California and are awaiting court appearances.  Frost remains at large and is being sought.

According to the indictment, Purcell began working as an American Airlines Cargo Fleet Service Clerk at Los Angeles International Airport in 2001.  During the course of the conspiracy, including the time period between February and May 2015, Tuipelehake arranged for California drug traffickers to transport illegal controlled substances from Los Angeles, California, on commercial airliners using Purcell’s position with the airlines to avoid detection and facilitate the transport.  Frost’s role involved retrieving the suitcases containing the drugs.

If convicted, these charges carry penalties ranging from ten years to life.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO – Two separate indictments were returned today by the federal grand jury related to homicides occurring in the City of St. Louis.

The first indictment deals with a much older case and charges WALTER WALLACE JR. and JERRY B. CHAMBERS for their involvement in the December 18, 2010, murder of Michael Hayes.  Mr. Hayes was found shot inside his residence located in the City of St. Louis.  Each defendant has been charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and charged with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking, which resulted in the murder of Michael Hayes.

The second indictment deals with shootings occurring this past spring and charges JACOBI TEMPLE, DEMANTE SYMS and SAMUEL SPIRES for their respective roles in the March 27, 2015, murders of James Lacey, Paige Schaefer and Tammie Thurmond.  Mr. Lacey and Ms. Schaefer were shot and killed inside a residence located in the City of St. Louis.  Ms. Thurmond was found by police in an alley and died a short time later.  Each of the three victims had been shot with the same weapon.  In this second indictment, all three men have been charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin; conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which resulted in the murder of Tammie Thurmond.

Jacobi Temple has been additionally charged with the possession and use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking which resulted in the murders of Mr. Lacey and Ms. Schaefer.   As is always the case, 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.  If convicted, these various charges carry penalties that include possible life sentences of imprisonment.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan noted that these two indictments represent an on-going coordinated effort between his Office, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to address the rising homicide rate in the City of St. Louis.  He also acknowledged federal law enforcement agencies’ broader contributions in responding to the rising violent crime rates and singled out the work of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in these two particular investigations.

St. Louis, MO – United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced former St. Louis City Police Officer DON McGHEE to 24 months imprisonment this afternoon on charges of providing a firearm to known drug dealers to facilitate their distribution of crack cocaine and marijuana in the City of St. Louis.

According to court documents, McGhee was a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer assigned as a Patrolman in the Sixth District. Officer McGhee knew and associated with individuals who stored and distributed quantities of crack cocaine and marijuana in and from a house located on Cottage Avenue in the City of St. Louis. On March 2, 2014, Officer McGhee took a Mossberg 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun to the Cottage Avenue drug house and gave it to one of the drug dealers knowing, believing or having reason to believe that the drug dealer would use the shotgun in relation to and in furtherance of the drug trafficking. During the execution of a search warrant at the Cottage Avenue house several days later, law enforcement officers recovered the Mossberg pistol grip shotgun, fully loaded, along with several other firearms, ammunition, quantities of crack cocaine and marijuana and a large amount of cash.

McGhee, St. Louis City, pled guilty in April 2015 to one felony count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan stated that this case again proved that the St. Louis City Police Department had the will and the integrity to investigate wrongdoing within its own Department. He noted that this investigation originated with the St. Louis City Police Department, which then sought the partnership of additional law enforcement agencies as its investigation expanded.  In addition to the St. Louis City Police Department, the case was also investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – PAUL PARKER was sentenced to 36 months in prison involving a scheme to defraud four clients by using their investment funds to pay his expenses and gamble. He also failed to file tax returns during the scheme, in part to avoid reporting his income from the fraud.

According to court documents, Parker held an account in the name of American Investors, Inc. for the purported purpose of receiving funds from clients to purchase life insurance annuities. Rather than purchase annuities on his clients’ behalf, however, Parker spent their money on personal expenses and gambling. In the course of the scheme, Parker also used monies contributed by later clients to fund repayments to prior clients. In total, Parker took in approximately $259,168 through false and fraudulent pretenses, resulting in a loss to investors of approximately $209,168. Parker also admitted to failing to file federal income tax returns for three years from 2010 to 2012.

Parker, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty in April to one felony count of mail fraud and three counts of failure to file a tax return.  He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.  Parker was also ordered to pay $72,805 to the IRS and the Missouri Department of Revenue for the taxes he failed to pay.

This was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Finneran handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – The mayor of Pine Lawn, Missouri, SYLVESTER CALDWELL, was sentenced to 33 months in prison on charges involving the extortion of cash payments from the owner of a local towing company and from the owner of a Pine Lawn convenience store.  In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay $5,500 restitution.

According to court documents, from December 2013 through April 2014, FBI agents were conducting an ongoing public corruption investigation into the activities of Sylvester Caldwell, who was Mayor of the City of Pine Lawn.  As Mayor, he exercised authority and control over which towing company provided the primary towing service for the City.  During the public corruption investigation, the owner of a towing company, who was cooperating with the FBI, met with Mayor Caldwell on several occasions for the purpose of making cash payments to the Mayor in order to remain as the primary towing service for Pine Lawn.

On at least five occasions, Mayor Caldwell met with the tow company owner at various locations and accepted cash payments in exchange for continuing to give work to the towing company.  At times Mayor Caldwell used coded language when requesting the cash payments.  For example, he commanded the tow company owner to place “green Mountain Dew in a cup,” which was code for directing that the cash be placed in a disposable cup.  He also induced payments by threatening to use a competing towing company.

From at least February 2013 through September 2014, Mayor Caldwell also extorted numerous payments of money from the owner of a convenience store known as Pine Lawn Market.  He attempted to disguise the payments as donations to the City of Pine Lawn.  The owner paid the money to Mayor Caldwell out of fear that the Mayor would make trouble for the store.  The owner of the store also allowed him to take goods from the store out of fear that his business could suffer economic harm if he refused.

Caldwell, Florissant, Missouri, pled guilty in April before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry to one count of attempted extortion and one count of extortion.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Reginald Harris and Anthony Franks handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – DARIUS ISOM, St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to an additional six months in prison for failing to appear to federal prison to serve his sentence.

According to court documents, on October 15, 2014, Isom was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment upon his conviction for aggravated identity theft.  He requested the Court to allow him to voluntarily surrender for service of his sentence instead of immediately being taken into custody.  The Court granted Isom’s request and ordered him to surrender at the institution designated by the Bureau of Prisons when he was notified by United States Marshals.  After being granted one extension, he was scheduled to surrender December 30, 2014, but failed to report as scheduled.  When he was contacted by federal authorities, he advised them that he was in Atlanta, Georgia, and would report at the earliest, on January 6, 2015.  He was directed to immediately surrender to a local U.S. Marshal’s Office to avoid the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.  Isom refused, stating, “I’ve got to do what I’ve got do, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Isom appeared for sentencing today before United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshal’s Service. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Franks handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO:  The United States has reached a civil settlement with MOHAMMAD AKHTAR CHOUDHARY, M.D., and his company, ROLLA NEUROLOGY PAIN & SLEEP CENTER, LLC.

According to the allegations of the United States, Dr. Choudhary and his company, located in Rolla, Missouri, violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare and TRICARE by upcoding claims for payment by not accurately stating the level of services that was provided for evaluation and management of patients and for nerve conduction studies.  As part of the civil settlement, the Defendants will pay the United States $861,571.

This settlement is part of ongoing efforts by the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Health Agency to recover funds diverted from Medicare and TRICARE.  Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Moore handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – BRIAN HENRY JONES, St. Clair, Missouri, was indicted involving his alleged drug activities in Franklin County.

Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 24 for multiple felony counts, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, manufacturing methamphetamine, maintaining a drug involved premises and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  He appeared for arraignment in federal court this afternoon in St. Louis.

If convicted, these charges carry penalties ranging from five years to life in prison.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Multi-County Narcotics and Violent Crimes Enforcement Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant United States Attorney Cristian M. Stevens is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO – DR. DEVON GOLDING was sentenced yesterday to four months imprisonment and eight months home detention on multiple health care fraud related charges for billing for services not rendered and false statements involving a health care benefit plan.  Dr. Golding will also have to pay over $145,000 in restitution.

According to testimony presented at trial, Dr. Golding billed for services on multiple occasions when he was actually out of town.  Dr. Golding employed a registered nurse, who at various times during her employment from September 2009 to November 2011, took the examination to become certified as a nurse practitioner.  Each time, she failed the examination and advised Dr. Golding that she had failed the examination.  She worked five days a week and saw patients on these days.  Dr. Golding typically came to the office 2-3 days a week.  In Dr. Golding’s absence, the registered nurse examined and diagnosed patients, prescribed narcotic medications and ordered lab tests for the patients. The registered nurse also completed progress notes for the patients, which Dr. Golding signed upon his return to the office, and thereby falsely indicated that he had seen the patients.  Dr. Golding directed the registered nurse to provide these services, although he knew these services were beyond the scope of her license as a registered nurse.

Golding, St. Louis, MO, was convicted in February of three felony counts of health care fraud and two felony counts of making false statements related to health services. He appeared Thursday before United States District Judge John A. Ross.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Gwen Carroll handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – JOEL WISHNE was sentenced to 30 months in prison involving his embezzlement of approximately $825,500 from SafeVision, LLC, during a three year period.  In addition to the prison sentence, he was ordered to pay $782,500 restitution.

According to court documents, Wishne was a managing member of SafeVision, LLC, a company in the business of providing optical and optometry services.  SafeVision also manufactured, sold and distributed eyewear products, including safety, industrial, sport, dress and other eyewear products both nationally and internationally.  Wishne served as the accountant for the company and ran the day-to-day operations, which included the deposit of funds received, as well as payment of the company’s expenses.  He maintained the account records and prepared the yearly financial statements, which were emailed to the other managing members of SafeVision.  Unbeknownst to the managing members, Wishne inflated certain expenses and the cost of goods within the annual financial statement, while underreporting certain income that the company received in order to conceal the fact that he was embezzling money from the company and using these stolen funds for his own personal benefit.

Wishne, Chesterfield, MO, pled guilty in February to two felony counts of wire fraud.  He appeared Thursday afternoon for sentencing before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – WILLIAM C. CRANK II, Rolla, MO, was sentenced to 28 months in prison involving his distribution of methamphetamine in March and April 2014, in Phelps County.  He appeared this morning in St. Louis before United States District Judge John Ross.

This case was investigated by the South Central Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John Mantovani handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St Louis, MO – Four former and current Postal employees of the Network Distribution Center in Hazelwood, and an associate, were indicted on charges of diverting mail believed to contain marijuana and other items to addresses that they controlled, for their personal gain.    

EDWARD LEWIS, Hazelwood, MO; SEAN WEST, Florissant, MO; QUENTIN COOK, Florissant, MO; CHE'YRON ROBINSON, St. Charles, MO; and KOREY HOWARD, Florissant, MO; were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10 on multiple charges including conspiracy, obstruction of correspondence and theft or receipt of stolen mail.  They are expected to appear in federal court this week.

According to the indictment, Lewis, West and Howard are former employees; Cook is a current employee; and Robinson is West’s girlfriend. West and Howard searched for and identified mail, and over-labeled it to redirect it from its original sender’s intended recipient to themselves, Cook, Lewis, Robinson and others.  The diverted mail included clothing, marijuana, electronics, computer equipment, pottery and personal effects.

If convicted, each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General and the Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Franks is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, 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.

St Louis, MO – CHARLES "SAM" JAMES, Columbia, Missouri, was charged in a one-count federal indictment for violations of the Lacey Act for engaging in conduct that involved the sale of white-tailed deer transported in violation of Missouri and Florida law.

According to the indictment, in October 2013, Charles “Sam” James, co-owner of Timber Hollow Whitetails, transported eleven live white-tailed deer in interstate commerce in violation of state and federal laws from Missouri to a white-tailed deer farm in Florida. The transportation of these animals took place after a Florida state law took effect banning the importation of captive white-tailed deer. The defendant allegedly transported the deer from Timber Hollow Whitetails near Mexico, Missouri, in a rented utility box trailer, to a deer farm near Laurel Hills, Florida.

Federal law makes it unlawful to transport live white-tailed deer out of the State of Missouri or into the State of Florida without proper documentation of the animals and without required animal health records. These health records include certifying that captive-bred animals are free from diseases like chronic wasting disease, tuberculosis and brucellosis.

Chronic wasting disease is the chief threat to wild deer and elk populations in North America. The disease, which ultimately ends in the death of infected animals, is a transmissible neurological disease that produces small lesions in the brain of deer and elk and is characterized by loss of body condition and behavioral abnormalities.

If convicted, this charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, 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.

St. Louis, MO - STEVEN HENRY KEMPER, Saint Louis County, was sentenced to 70 months in prison in connection with the November 16, 2001, arson of his family’s home in Florissant, Missouri.  Kemper’s 15-year-old son, Zachariah Andrew Kemper, was trapped in the basement and killed during the fire.  Kemper previously pled guilty to one-count of aiding and abetting the use of fire to commit mail fraud. He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig.

The 2001 fire was originally the subject of state charges in which only Kemper’s wife, Sandra Bryant, was charged.  During the ensuing trial, the judge declared a mistrial after ruling that certain polygraph evidence had mistakenly been shown to the jury.  The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately held that because the mistrial was declared over the defense objection, state prosecutors were barred from retrying the defendant in state court because of the United States Constitution’s "double jeopardy" provision.

Sandra Kay Bryant, Saint Louis County, pled guilty to the same charge in March and awaits sentencing in July 2015.

This case was originally investigated by Saint Louis County Police Department.  The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took up the investigation after the Missouri Supreme Court decision barring the retrial by state prosecutors.  The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office also provided significant assistance.

St. Louis, MO – This morning in federal district court, defendants OLAJUWON DAVIS and BRANDON ORLANDO BALDWIN pled guilty to planning and conspiring to blow up public buildings and police vehicles during the Ferguson protests, specifically mentioning the St. Louis County Prosecutor and the Ferguson Chief of Police as possible targets.  The defendants also pled guilty to conspiring to illegally purchase firearms and distribute them to convicted felons, who were not legally able to purchase or possess firearms.

According to court documents, in August 2014, Olajuwon Davis, a member of the New Black Panther Party, became a frequent protestor in Ferguson, Missouri.  During the protests, Davis met a fellow protestor by the name of Brandon Orlando Baldwin, who was employed at Cabela’s Inc. in Hazelwood, Missouri. Cabela’s is a federally licensed firearms dealer. Davis and Baldwin began to discuss how they could help arm some of the individuals taking part in the Ferguson protests.  Baldwin volunteered that he could use his position at Cabela’s, and thereafter, Davis related to several people that he could procure firearms for convicted felons through Baldwin at the Cabela’s store.  In fact, three such purchases were made: One on October 22, 2014, and two on November 7, 2014.

By early to mid-November, Davis and Baldwin’s talk of procuring guns had radically expanded into acquiring bombs.  The discussions included types of bombs, blast radius and cost. Police stations and officers were discussed as likely targets, with specific references made to McCulloch (the St. Louis County Prosecutor) and Jackson (the Ferguson Police Chief).   On November 12, 2014, an undercover informant showed the defendants a recording of a controlled explosion that would be produced by the type of pipe bomb the defendants were talking about purchasing.  The defendants requested a delivery date of Friday November 21.

On Thursday evening November 19, the arranged sale of three bombs was scheduled for shortly after midnight in the early morning hours of Friday, November 20.  The reason for the delay was so that the defendants would be able to withdraw the needed $150 from an ATM machine.  The parties then met at a prearranged location in Hazlewood where the exchange of money and the three would-be bombs took place.  Immediately upon the exchange taking place, Davis and Baldwin were arrested.

Olajuwon Davis, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty to one felony count each of conspiracy to damage or destroy a building, vehicle and other property by use of an explosive; conspiracy to make false written statements in connection with the purchase of firearms and the transfer of firearms to a felon; and two felony counts of aiding and abetting in the making of false written statements in connection with a firearms purchase. He appeared before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.

Brandon Orlando Baldwin, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty to one felony count each of conspiracy to damage or destroy a building, vehicle and other property by use of an explosive; conspiracy to make false written statements in connection with the purchase of firearms and the transfer of firearms to a felon; and two felony counts of making false written statements in connection with a firearms purchase. He appeared before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  Sentencing for both defendants has been set for August 31, 2015.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan praised law enforcement for preventing what potentially could have been a major disaster.  "The disruption of this plot, coming as it did on the eve of the expected Grand Jury announcement, undoubtedly saved lives.  Luckily for all of us, we’ll never know just how many," he said.

If convicted, these charges carry penalties ranging from 5 to 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, St Louis County Police Department and the St Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

St. Louis, MO – Four individuals participated in a scheme to file false claims for federal tax refunds for tax years 2008 through 2011.  The indictment alleges that 93 false federal income tax returns were filed by the defendants as part of a scheme which claimed approximately $335,297 in fraudulent refunds and which caused a loss to the United States government of $184,464.

"An integral part of the agency’s mission involves detecting and catching fraudulent tax refund claims," stated Sybil Smith, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. "The object of these schemes is to defraud the government and the taxpaying public."

ROMEL TOMLIN, with addresses in Grand Prairie, TX and Phoenix, AZ; TYRA TOMLIN, Phoenix, AZ; KEITH HEBB, St. Louis, MO; and JERMAINE IRONS, St. Louis, MO, were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday, February 18th.  Each defendant was indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three felony counts of theft of public money and four felony counts of aggravated identity theft.  The indictment was suppressed until the arrest of all of the defendants.  The last defendant to be arrested, Romel Tomlin, appeared for arraignment late Monday afternoon, in St. Louis.

If convicted, the wire fraud conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and each of the theft counts carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.  In addition, aggravated identity theft carries a two-year mandatory sentence of imprisonment consecutive to the other counts.  All counts carry a fine up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Charles Birmingham is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

As is always the case, 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.          

St. Louis, MO – COLEMAN CARPENTER of Troy, Tennessee, admitted to defrauding his former employer in a scheme involving the purchase of millions of bushels of agricultural commodities between 2009 and 2013.

In the plea, Carpenter admitted to paying $900,000 more than he was authorized to pay for various agricultural commodities while the manager of a grain elevator owned by Bunge North America, which is headquartered in St. Louis.

Carpenter appeared in St. Louis Monday before Judge Rodney W. Sippel, who accepted his guilty plea and set sentencing for August 28, 2015.

Carpenter faces up to 20 years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000.  In determining the actual sentence, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the St. Louis Division of the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – TIMOTHY JAMES and STARLA DUDENHOEFFER were sentenced to 63 months in prison and 28 months in prison, respectively, involving their distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine in Maries County.

James and Dudenhoeffe, both of Vienna, Missouri, previously pled guilty to one felony count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  Dudenhoeffer appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  James was sentenced in March.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney John Mantovani handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – BRYAN BINKHOLDER was sentenced to 108 months in prison on multiple fraud charges involving his financial planning and investment strategy businesses.  In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay $3,655,980 in restitution to the victims.

According to court documents, Binkholder labeled himself “The Financial Coach” and provided investment and financial planning advice to the general public through his affiliated websites, YouTube channel, published books and articles and an investment related talk-radio show that aired on local radio stations. In 2008, he developed a real estate investment he termed “hard money lending.”  Using his platform as an investment advisor and financial talk show host, Binkholder solicited his clients and others to invest in the hard money lending program.  As part of his sales pitch, he represented that he had relationships with developers in the real estate community who wanted to purchase, renovate and sell residential real estate in the St. Louis area, but were not able to secure financing from traditional banks.  As part of the hard money lending program, Binkholder told investors that they would invest money with him, and he would act as a bank and provide short-term loans to these developers at a high rate of interest, which would be shared with the investor.  Instead of exclusively making hard money loans as promised, Binkholder took in millions of dollars of investor money, made only a small number of hard money loans and caused investors to lose more than $3,000,000.

Binkholder, Wentzville, MO, pled guilty in January to four felony counts of wire fraud and one felony count of bank fraud.  He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Ronald L. White.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Postal Inspection Service and Missouri Secretary of State Securities Division. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Casey handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – DANA JEFFERSON was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment on multiple fraud charges involving a scheme to lure lenders by falsely representing that he was the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar inheritance.

According to court documents, Jefferson represented to prospective lenders that he had been left a multi-million dollar inheritance from his deceased father’s estate, with the amount ranging from $5,000,000 to $200,000,000.  Jefferson sometimes told lenders that the funds were kept in a trust, and other times that the funds were kept either in a local credit union or a bank in Miami, Florida. Jefferson also told lenders that he did not have immediate access to his inheritance, providing various explanations as to the reasons why. However, Jefferson had not been left any such inheritance. Instead, the inheritance was a fiction used to induce his victims to lend him money and to offer him free housing at their residences. Jefferson made false promises to lenders that once he gained access to his inheritance, he would use the funds to purchase homes for them, or in some cases, would repay double the amount of the loan. Jefferson also promised other lenders that he would purchase them expensive motor vehicles, pay for plastic surgery, cruises and a wedding. Jefferson obtained in excess of $740,000 in loans from nine individuals as part of his scheme. 

Jefferson, of O’Fallon, Missouri (also known as Casey Jefferson, Dana Tiberius Jefferson and Dana Tyrone Jefferson), pled guilty in January to four felony counts of wire fraud.  He appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Finneran handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – SUSAN HAMPE of St Louis County, Missouri, was indicted for mail fraud as part of a scheme to defraud her sister and co-trustee in connection with the sale of family real estate.

According to the indictment, Hampe falsely represented herself to be the sole trustee and beneficiary of a trust containing the home of her deceased mother in St. Louis County.  Upon sale of the property, Hampe is alleged to have taken all the proceeds for herself and used them to pay $60,000 in criminal restitution she owed in a 2011 case involving her embezzlement from an ex-employer.

Hampe was indicted by a federal grand jury late Wednesday on one felony count of mail fraud.

If convicted, mail fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

As is always the case, 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.                                                                   

St. Louis, MO – TODD SCOTT, St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to the plea agreement, Scott was found by St. Louis police officers in possession of a .38 special revolver on November 12, 2013.  As a convicted felon, including two prior federal convictions for possession with the intent to distribute heroin and a weapons charge, Scott was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Scott pled guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in February.  He appeared today for sentencing before Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.

This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – ALFRED BROWN admitted to filing a false 2009 tax return, which failed to disclose income he took from a Church and daycare center.  In all, Brown admitted to avoiding more than $80,000 in income taxes for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

According to his plea agreement, Brown failed to report considerable cash withdrawals and payments for luxury cars used by him and his wife as income from the Church of Jesus Christ, of which Brown is pastor, and the AB Academy daycare center, of which his wife is director.  Brown further admitted he was to have been precluded from participating in the management or operation of the daycare center because of a prior felony conviction in the State of Missouri.

Brown, of Chesterfield, Missouri, pled guilty to one count of filing a false tax return before United States District Judge Ronnie L. White.  Sentencing has been set for August 11, 2015.

This charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and/or a fine up to $100,000. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

St. Louis, MO – TYRELLE A. PHILLIPS, Herrin, IL, was sentenced to 39 months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution to the identified victims of the scheme.  He was sentenced on multiple identity theft and credit card charges, resulting in excess of $62,000 of losses in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

According to court documents, on September 16, 2014, O’Fallon, Missouri, police officers were in a local Walgreens Store in order to obtain surveillance photos of individuals who had been purchasing prepaid gift cards with counterfeit credit cards.  Coincidentally, Tyrelle A. Phillips, had traveled from Kentucky to the St. Louis area to use counterfeit credit cards to buy gift cards.  While the officers were in the store, they observed Phillips attempting to purchase prepaid Visa gift cards in separate transactions using multiple credit cards.  Due to their familiarity with the scheme and the fact that Phillips’ appearance matched that of an individual suspected of the crime, the officers stopped Phillips.  

During a search of his vehicle, the officer found a laptop computer with a card writing machine and five fraudulently purchased gift cards valued at $500 each.  Phillips explained that he used the laptop computer and a magnetic strip reader/writer device to produce the counterfeit cards.  According to Phillips, he had been receiving text messages containing three to four stolen credit or debit card account numbers from an associate in California for more than six months.  In particular, during a trip to the St. Louis metropolitan area in August, Phillips estimated making fraudulent purchases of approximately $10,000 in several local municipalities.  His role was to produce counterfeit cards and use them to purchase gift cards in large denominations in exchange for 50% of the proceeds.

An inspection of his cellular telephone revealed multiple text messages received within the last two weeks containing a total of 96 account numbers.  A review of his computer allowed the officers to track his travel to multiple cities in California, Oregon, Illinois, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Oregon, between July 30, 2014 and his arrest on September 16, 2014.

Phillips appeared Monday for sentencing before United States Senior District Judge E. Richard Weber, in St. Louis.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, O’Fallon and Maryland Heights Police Departments and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Berry handled the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St. Louis, MO – JAMES STALEY pled guilty to charges involving his scheme to defraud investors by making false promises of high rates of return and minimal risk.  With his plea, Staley admitted to defrauding sixteen investors/lenders by causing them to invest over $3.3 million, giving him commissions totaling over $570,000.

According to court documents, in 2007, James Staley operated Wealth Financial International.  That same year, he became a sales agent for a Premium Financing Company located in California known as B & B Equity.  As a sales agent, Staley found individuals to provide loans for life insurance policies.  In many instances, several of these investor/lender’s funds were bundled together to provide financing to purchase one life insurance policy.  Staley received a commission for each investor/lender that he found to contribute financing for the purchasing of the life insurance policies. B & B required the lender/investor to invest in the insurance policy for a fixed period of time, varying from 18 months to two years.  During this period of time, Staley represented to clients of Wealth Financial that B & B Premium Financing Company would sell the bundled insurance policies on the open market with guaranteed returns. However, Staley was well aware that if B & B was unable to secure a buyer for the bundled insurance policies that his clients would lose all their monies invested in the Premium Financing product sold by B & B.

Staley, Wentzville, MO, pled guilty to four felony counts of wire fraud before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.  Sentencing has been set for July 29, 2015.

Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St. Louis, MO – Two Edgar Springs people have been sentenced involving their methamphetamine distribution activities in March 2014 in Phelps County.

RANDY E. KARNES was sentenced today to 72 months in prison; SHANTELLE M. LIBHART was sentenced last week to 84 months in prison.  They appeared in St. Louis before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.

This case was investigated by the South Central Drug Task Force.

April 30, 2015

St. Louis, MO – MARDELL McGEE pled guilty to charges relating to an insurance fraud scheme which included burning a residential property in the City of St. Louis.

According to court documents, McGee owned numerous businesses involved in real estate, whose activities included buying, rehabbing, selling and renting residential properties in the St. Louis area.  In 2009, McGee bought a house in the City of St. Louis for $10,000, using one of his business names.  In 2010, McGee borrowed money against the property, and in 2011 he claimed to have sold it for $100,000 to a woman.  The woman, however, was the mother of his child.  McGee provided the financing for the purported sale using another business known as Nationwide Lending Services.  The buyer obtained a homeowner’s insurance policy from State Farm that covered the property in the event of a fire.  In the early morning hours of February 27, 2012, McGee set a fire in the property.  The owner was not home at the time, and McGee was observed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in the vicinity at the time of the fire.  McGee was involved in the insurance claim, and in October 2012, a check for $88,265 was sent to the owner of the property.  That check was used to pay an insurance adjuster, leaving about $80,265 in proceeds. The adjuster gave McGee and the owner a check for $80,265, which was payable to the owner and Nationwide Lending.  On that same day, McGee opened an account in the name of Nationwide Lending Services and deposited the entire $80,265 into the new account.

McGee, St. Louis, Missouri, pled guilty to one felony count of mail fraud and one felony count of arson in furtherance of mail fraud.  He appeared before United States District Judge Henry Autrey.  Sentencing has been set for August 3, 2015.

Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.  The arson count carries a ten-year mandatory sentence consecutive to the mail fraud sentence.  In determining the actual sentence, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

This case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service, St. Louis County Police Department, St. Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.  Assistant United States Attorney John Ware is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

St. Louis, MO – ANTONIO WHITESIDE of St. Louis County pled guilty this morning and admitted to starting a fire inside the Ferguson Supermarket, Inc. on November 24, 2014, the date St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson.

Whiteside pled guilty to one count of attempted arson before United States District Judge John A. Ross.  Sentencing has been set for July 23, 2015.

Whiteside faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.  In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

United States Attorney Richard Callahan noted that it was the close cooperation between the county and federal law enforcement officers that enabled law enforcement to solve the case. The charge was the result of a joint investigation by the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bomb and Arson Unit and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office also provided significant assistance.