Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a sex offender caught with child sexual abuse material to 15 years in prison.

Cody Moore, 25, pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography. He admitted using a Kik social media account to download, possess and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The investigation began with a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a Kik account was used to upload 41 files containing CSAM in December of 2022. The upload was traced to a home in Audrain County where Moore was living, and the Boone County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force took over the investigation. At the same time, law enforcement in Audrain County was investigating Moore for failing to register as a sex offender. Moore had twice been convicted of failure to register, and he absconded from probation in April 2023. Moore was charged with failure to register, and an arrest warrant was issued.

On July 12, 2023, Moore was arrested in Jefferson County, Missouri. A court-approved search of his phone, social media and cloud accounts revealed dozens of files containing images of girls being sexually abused.

The FBI, the Boone County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Thursday sentenced a man to 125 months in prison for convincing a runaway 17-year-old to work as a prostitute.

Rodarius Servick, 51, will be on supervised release for 15 years after his release from prison. Servick met the victim in August of 2024 on a social media application. Servick convinced her to work as a prostitute and lie about her age. He then brought her from Illinois to Missouri and arranged commercial sex acts by managing online ads, setting the price for sex acts and collecting all the money, Servick admitted as part of a guilty plea in September to one count of travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.  

Law enforcement learned on Sept. 13, 2024, of a runaway juvenile that was being trafficked. Detectives found her picture online, and the St. Louis County Police Department conducted an undercover operation that recovered the girl days later.

The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a Romanian national to 24 months in prison for targeting stores across the country with a sleight-of-hand fraud that netted at least $130,000 in money and property.

Suras Rostas, now 22, traveled the country from roughly April 2023 to October 2024, conducting at least 45 fraudulent transactions at Walmart stores in at least 18 different states. After cashiers scanned the merchandise or began processing an electronic money transfer, Rostas counted money into piles that added up to at least the full amount of the transaction and handed the piles one at a time to cashiers. He then took the cash back, gathered it into a pile and slipped bills from the bottom of the stack into his pocket, sometimes with the aid of a confederate who would distract the cashiers. If a cashier tried to recount the cash, Rostas repeated those steps until the cashiers relented and put the cash into their drawers without recounting it. Each transaction cost the retailer hundreds or thousands of dollars. Rostas then regularly returned the merchandise for a full cash refund.

Rostas entered the country illegally in 2023 and immediately started his scheme, Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf said in court. Despite arrests and convictions, “he kept doing it,” Ladendorf told Judge Schelp. Rostas’ case is one of four similar cases being prosecuted here, Ladendorf said, because major retailers losing millions of dollars to similar schemes have reached out for help in dealing with the issue.

Judge Schelp ordered Rostas to repay $135,290 to Walmart. He also ordered Rostas’ sentence to run consecutive to pending cases in Idaho, Arkansas, Florida and St. Louis County, Missouri.

“Frankly, I don’t appreciate your disdain for America and American laws,” Judge Schelp told Rostas during Thursday’s sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

Rostas pleaded guilty in September to two counts of wire fraud. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Arnold Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri pediatrician on Thursday admitted prescribing pain pills and other controlled substances in exchange for sex acts, nude photos or cash.

Craig A. Spiegel, 69, also admitted lying in a prior court hearing when he accused police of misconduct.

Spiegel pleaded guilty to one count each of illegal distribution of controlled substances, making false statements related to health care matters and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. As part of his plea, he admitted engaging in a pattern of issuing prescriptions for controlled substances beginning at least as early as 2014 through May 2023, knowing that it was illegal and that there was no legitimate medical purpose to the prescriptions. Spiegel wrote prescriptions for numerous adult women in exchange for sexual acts or sexual photos. In many cases, he wrote the prescriptions despite knowing that the women had a substance use disorder and that issuing the prescription would endanger the recipient’s mental or physical health. Spiegel knew many of the women because he was their pediatrician when they were children.

Spiegel admitted that one woman performed sex acts, typically at his pediatrics office in Bridgeton, Missouri, or provided him with nude photos of herself, in exchange for pain pills or Adderall. Spiegel issued prescriptions to another woman, including an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a stimulant and/or a muscle relaxer despite knowing that she had a severe substance use disorder and was at high risk of overdose. He also admitted pressuring the women into engaging in sex acts or providing him with nude photos.

Spiegel also admitted prescribing controlled substances to his co-defendant, April Bingham, 48, in exchange for sexual favors. He knew that she was selling some of the drugs, and that she was addicted. He prescribed drugs to Bingham using the names of her ex-husband, mother and friends in part to take advantage of their insurance benefits, his plea says. Bingham introduced Spiegel others who paid him or performed sex acts in exchange for controlled substances.

The Medicare, Missouri Medicaid and Illinois Medicaid programs suffered losses totaling $114,480 as a result of Spiegel’s illegal prescription practices.

Finally, Spiegel admitted lying in an April 2025, hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis during which he sought to suppress evidence found on his cell phone. Spiegel falsely claimed, in court and under oath, that he had not signed a consent form authorizing the search of his cellular phone until after the cellular phone data had been extracted by investigators. Spiegel lied in an effort to accuse officers of the Bridgeton Police Department of illegally searching his cellular phone.

Spiegel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 24, 2026. The charges of conspiracy and illegal distribution of controlled substances are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine. The charge of making false statements is punishable by five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Bingham pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. She was sentenced in 2024 to 21 months in prison.

Individuals with concerns about Dr. Spiegel should call the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) at 800-447-8477.

The Bridgeton Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the HHS-OIG, the FBI, and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Sestric and Jonathan Clow are prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from St. Louis County on Wednesday admitted selling guns on five occasions to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Antoine Maurice Gant, 39, entered an open plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 24, 2024, he sold a 9mm handgun for $400 to the ATF agent in a St. Louis alley. Seven days later, he sold two handguns to the agent. On June 14, 2024, he sold two handguns and $140 worth of cocaine. One June 27, 2024, Gant sold an AK-47-style rifle to the agent in East St. Louis, and a .40-caliber pistol, an AR-style pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun outside a St. Louis laundromat about an hour later.

As a felon, Gant is barred from possessing firearms. He was convicted of statutory rape in 2012 and sentenced to seven years in prison. In 2018, he was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree assault.

Gant is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2026. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone on Tuesday ordered a fossil company owner to repay $106,923 in Social Security disability benefits that he’d obtained through disability fraud.

Judge Bluestone also placed Scott A. Taylor on probation for five years. After having been granted disability benefits, Taylor opened Taylor Made Fossils, which made fossil recreations. While repeatedly falsely claiming to be too disabled to work, Taylor was carrying large or heavy objects, doing yard work, using a cell phone, and walking normally while unassisted and alone. He claimed he had difficulty walking, standing, concentrating, feeding himself, shopping, using his arms, managing money, seeing, hearing, speaking and caring for his hair. He stated his vision caused him to walk into people and objects and frequently fall down the stairs, that he was in extreme constant pain, that it was dangerous for him to leave the house alone, that he could not feel his hands or feet and that even normal items would become too heavy to lift. Taylor falsely claimed he had received no wages or income and had no form of employment since 1997. Since 2014, his business generated income ranging from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars per month in all but three months.

After an investigation by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Taylor’s disability benefits were discontinued. Taylor stole a total of $106,923, his plea agreement says.

Taylor, 50, of Wellston, pleaded guilty in September to one felony count of theft of government money.

The SSA-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who illegally bought guns that were later recovered during criminal investigations in Missouri and Illinois to 12 months in prison.

Dayquan Long, 23, of Cape Girardeau, will be on supervised release for two years after his release from prison. Long pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of making a false statement during a firearm purchase. He admitted buying 19 firearms from two federally licensed firearms dealers between Nov. 3, 2022, and Nov. 27, 2024. During each purchase, Long filled out a form certifying that he was the “actual transferee/buyer” of the firearm and that he was not “acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person.” Long signed the form acknowledging that he was aware “that the repetitive purchase of firearms for the purpose of resale for livelihood and profit without a federal firearms license is a violation of federal law.”

Firearms sold by Long were later recovered during criminal investigations in Kansas City, Sweet Springs, Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Missouri and in Overland Park, Kansas, Long’s plea agreement says. On Feb. 5, 2025, Long told a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent that he sold the guns for a profit of between $100 and $200.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Waukegan, Illinois on Monday admitted traveling to Missouri and other states to open fraudulent bank accounts and deposit checks that had been stolen from the U.S. Mail.

Terry Carter-Kilgore, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud. Between December 2022 and August 2024, Carter-Kilgore bought or otherwise obtained checks that had been stolen from the mail. He then used fraudulent driver’s licenses with his picture and the personal information of others and fake business documents to open unauthorized bank accounts in Missouri and other states in names matching those on the stolen checks. Carter-Kilgore would then deposit or try to deposit the stolen checks into the unauthorized bank accounts. He deposited or attempted to deposit at least six stolen checks totaling $214,935.

On Dec. 21, 2022, Carter-Kilgore deposited a stolen $36,373 check into an account at a bank in Florissant, Missouri, using a fake driver’s license. Over a year later, on Aug. 20, 2024, Carter-Kilgore opened an unauthorized bank account in Lee’s Summit, Missouri and tried to deposit a stolen check using a fraudulent Georgia driver’s license. Suspicious bank personnel called the Lee’s Summit Police Department. When police arrived, Carter-Kilgore ran away but was found hiding under the deck of a nearby home. He admitted to police that he attempted to deposit a stolen check using a false driver’s license. He also said he’d bought both check and ID in Chicago.

Carter-Kilgore is scheduled to be sentenced on March 9, 2026. Bank fraud carries a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Lee’s Summit Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced a man who robbed a bank and a mobile phone store and who was foiled in another robbery to 12 years in prison.

Kentrell Jones, 42, robbed a bank in Jennings, Missouri on Jan. 20, 2022, by handling a note to a teller and implying that he had a gun. On Feb. 14, 2022, Jones tried to rob a mobile phone store on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis by demanding money from an employee at gunpoint. The employee foiled the robbery by fleeing into a bathroom and locking the door. Jones then went to a mobile phone store on Kingshighway Boulevard in St. Louis and robbed the store of cell phones and cash while armed.

Jones pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to robbery, attempted robbery, bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The FBI, St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday found a St. Louis man guilty of selling the fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old woman in 2023.

Jurors convicted Bobby Lee Jones, 27, of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Jones’ started Monday.

The 18-year-old victim initially reached out to Jones on the morning of Jan. 15, 2023, asking in a text message for marijuana, evidence and testimony during the trial showed. After a series of messages, he offered to also sell her the pain pill Percocet, and they met shortly after 7 p.m. to exchange cash for the drugs, the messages show. But the pills were fake and contained a fatal dose of fentanyl, evidence showed. Around midnight, when her boyfriend tried to reach her, she was not answering calls or texts. He found her the next day.

Jones’ sentencing has yet to be scheduled. The fentanyl charge carries a penalty of at least 20 years in prison.

Jones’ trial on unrelated carjacking and firearm charges is scheduled for January 5, 2026. Charges set forth in that indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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

ST. LOUIS – A Romanian national on Thursday admitted running “sleight-of-hand” schemes that cost a nationwide retailer almost $200,000.

Bobi Covaciu, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. He admitted tricking cashiers at Target stores in at least 22 states from February 2022 to September 2024 into believing that he had paid the full amount of cash for a purchase. Covaciu counted out cash matching the purchase price and then took back the cash from cashiers and secretly pocketed bills, shortchanging the retailer by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction. Covaciu would then return the merchandise at a different store for a full cash refund. In one transaction in St. Louis, Covaciu pocketed about $2,300 in a transaction and then returned merchandise in an Illinois store and two stores in Wisconsin over the next two days, his plea says. In at least 90 fraudulent transactions during this period, Covaciu stole about $196,220 in money and property.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 9, 2026. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. He will also be ordered to repay the money.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a former assistant professor who embezzled $412,163 from the Washington University School of Medicine to 27 months in prison.

Judge Autrey also ordered Gary Grajales-Reyes, MD-PhD, to repay the money. Federal law enforcement has already seized a substantial quantity of collectible trading cards from Grajales-Reyes’ laboratory that he bought with some of the funds.

As part of his guilty plea in August to three counts of wire fraud, Grajales-Reyes admitted submitting 73 false requisition requests to WashU Medicine for 761 different pieces of computer equipment, falsely claiming that it was for the research laboratory that he directed.  Once he received the equipment at his lab, Grajales-Reyes sold some of the computer equipment through his personal eBay site and some to an Amazon-based third-party seller.  He used the money obtained by selling the computer equipment for his own personal expenses.  

Grajales-Reyes’s greed-fueled crime affected WashU Medicine in multiple ways, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said in court Thursday. Grajales-Reyes “defrauded the very institution which has supported him in achieving all that he has,” Goldsmith said, including by providing him “an education, substantial salary and benefits” and a research lab. In addition to the loss of funds that were intended to support important patient care and research, the University had to terminate a National Institutes of Health grant for which Grajales-Reyes was a principal investigator, causing the loss of $87,545 in grant funding. Staff spent more than 500 hours investigating and dealing with Grajales-Reyes’ crime, which damaged the reputation of the department and its programs and prompted concerns from academic and business leaders and philanthropic supporters.

The FBI investigated the case, with the cooperation and assistance of Washington University. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a man who temporarily blinded Metro Air Support pilots with a laser pointer last year to 21 months in prison.

Evidence and testimony at the July trial of Joshua J. Johnson showed that shortly before 9:45 p.m. on August 9, 2024, Johnson used a blue Class IV laser to target a marked Metro Air Support helicopter that was flying over the Benton Park neighborhood in St. Louis in support of other officers. A St. Louis County Police Department pilot and a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department pilot were temporarily blinded when the blue light flooded the cockpit. As the laser light started to wane, officers tracked the beam to a vehicle below them and tracked the vehicle as it drove down the street. The driver aimed the laser at the helicopter again. The officers continued to track the vehicle and provided updates to officers on the ground, who stopped the vehicle and arrested the sole occupant – Johnson. After initially denying that he pointed the laser, he later told officers that he was responsible. He also admitted that fact in calls from jail.

Jurors the trial of Johnson, now 44, of Warrenton, Missouri, convicted him of one felony count of knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.

“This is dangerous conduct,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha said at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing. The strongest consumer model lasers can permanently blind air crews. In addition to criminal penalties, anyone who points a laser at an aircraft can also be subject to civil penalties of up to $11,000 imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Pointing a laser at an aircraft can have catastrophic consequences, including the potential for fatal accidents if pilots are temporarily blinded. This is not a harmless prank," said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. "The act is not difficult to trace, and in this case, it took mere minutes for the jury to convict Joshua J. Johnson."

The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Air Support Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohsen Pasha and Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from Webster Groves, Missouri on Tuesday admitted sending and receiving child sexual abuse material online.

Joseph A. Seiffertt, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted possessing 43 images and 433 videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his cell phone, as well as AI-powered apps that he used to depict clothed individuals, including minors, in the nude. Seiffertt also discussed the sexual abuse of minors with someone online and shared and received CSAM via the Kik Messenger app.

Seiffertt is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2026. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of 12 years in prison, followed by a lifetime on supervised release.

The FBI and the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a St. Louis man who was one of the moderators of an online child sexual abuse material chat group to 84 months in prison and ordered him to pay $10,000 to victims.

David Korte Daues, 37, pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted that he was in about 25 groups that shared CSAM on the messaging app Kik and five on the Wire platform. He said he distributed CSAM in these groups. He also possessed images and videos containing CSAM on two cell phones.

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 former Florissant, Missouri police officer on Tuesday admitted illegally searching the phones of 20 women during traffic stops to obtain nude photos.

While on duty, in uniform and in a marked police vehicle, Julian Alcala pulled the women over between the dates of February 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024. Alcala admitted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Tuesday that he took each victim’s mobile phone away from them and back to his patrol car. Alcala told 19 of his victims that he needed to use their phone to confirm insurance coverage and told one that he was confirming her vehicle registration. Alcala then searched through the phones without a warrant or probable cause. He used his own cell phone to take photographs of one or more images that portrayed either the victim or a loved one or both in a partial or full state of nudity that he found in various folders and apps. Alcala also found and forwarded a video of one victim to his cell phone. After that victim discovered the forwarding of the video and reported it to the FBI, court-approved search warrants of Alcala’s cell phone and his cloud storage uncovered images of 19 additional victims.

Julian Alcala, 30, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2026. Each charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail, a fine of up $100,000, or both prison and a fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a former Lincoln County, Missouri jail contract employee, Kevin Childers Jr., to 51 months in prison for his role in smuggling fentanyl and methamphetamine into the jail.

Childers, 38, was one of three people to have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Steven Williamson Jr., 37, and Brittany Spangler, 35, were sentenced earlier this year.

At the time of the offense, Williamson was an inmate and trustee and worked in the kitchen. Spangler was his girlfriend. Childers ran the jail kitchen as a contract employee. All three admitted conspiring to smuggle fentanyl and meth into the jail between the dates of June 27, 2022, and Oct. 6, 2022.

Judge Autrey previously sentenced Williamson to 51 months in prison and Spangler to 37 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a Nigerian national to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri as well as a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.

Mercy Ojedeji, 26, also participated in the money mule activities of Shirley Waller. Waller is serving a 93-month prison sentence after admitting aiding online scammers and committing pandemic and mortgage fraud. The government alleged that Ojedeji and Waller used a fraudulently opened bank account to funnel the proceeds of Waller’s criminal activities to Nigeria. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home Waller and Ojedeji shared, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that the total intended loss of the pair’s activities was more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement.

In a letter to Judge Autrey, one victim who lost $47,000 to the scam described being duped by a tale of a lonely, widowed orthopedic surgeon working in in a refugee hospital in Jordan. “It is a terrible shame there are such people existing to steal money from innocent victims such as myself,” she wrote. Another had their water cut off for a month due to non-payment after sending money to scammers.

Ojedeji pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud. He admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour, Waller, to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license. The driver’s license was subsequently used to open the bank account through which he and Waller forwarded the proceeds of Waller’s money mule activities.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use.  With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves.  Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – Thomas C. Albus, serving as the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Missouri since August 1st, was appointed to continue in that office Monday by the U.S. District Court.

Chief U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark swore in Mr. Albus pursuant to 28 United States Code 546, meaning he will serve until the vacancy is filled. Mr. Albus’s nomination as U.S. Attorney by President Donald J. Trump is pending in the U.S. Senate, having been favorably reported out of the Judiciary committee on October 16th.

“I am grateful for the vote of the Court and honored to lead an office of outstanding professionals in the Eastern District of Missouri,” Mr. Albus said.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man convicted of gun and drug crimes to 30 years in prison.

Christopher Glen Rhodes, 47, was found guilty at trial in June of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Rhodes was the supplier of methamphetamine that his co-defendant, Demetrius A. Ransom, sold to a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. In late 2022, Ransom twice sold about a pound of meth to the confidential source, who told investigators that he’d previously purchased both meth and fentanyl from Ransom. He tried to sell a third pound but didn’t have enough, and offered to make up the difference in fentanyl, a sentencing memorandum says. That memo says Rhodes and Ransom have been selling drugs together for nearly 25 years.

After the drug sales by Ransom, investigators planned a court-approved search of Rhodes’ home in the 4900 block of West Florissant Avenue. On Dec. 19, 2022, they saw Rhodes leaving. They stopped Rhodes’ car, but when he was asked to get out of the car, he sped away. Investigators found a total of 2.7 kilograms of meth, 3.8 kilos of fentanyl, 981.8 grams of cocaine and 129.7 grams of cocaine base in his home, evidence and testimony showed. They also found $21,000 in cash, a loaded 9mm Ruger handgun and drug paraphernalia.

Rhodes is a felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm. Rhodes’ 294-month prison sentence for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base was commuted in 2016 to expire in 2018. He then sought early termination of his supervised release, saying he was older and wiser and wanted to advance at his job.

Ransom, 46, of St. Louis County, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie J. Schneider and Don Boyce prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon who shot and wounded another man to 71 months in prison.

Lamaar Pearson, 37, pleaded guilty in August in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He admitted that on March 29, 2024, he shot a man twice during a dispute, injuring the victim in the lower back and hip. After the shooting, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers recovered a firearm magazine that Pearson had hidden and 10 spent cartridge casings.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Tuesday sentenced a felon who caused a serious accident after fleeing from police to 70 months in prison.

Juan Goodrich, 33, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in August to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On the evening of April 2, 2024, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer spotted a 2014 Chrysler 200 running a red light at North Kingshighway Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue. Goodrich sped away, running another red light and later running a stop sign. A computer inquiry showed that his license plate was invalid. When the officer tried to stop Goodrich by activating the lights and siren, he refused to stop, continuing at speeds exceeding 80 m.p.h. The officer turned off the lights and siren due to safety concerns, but Goodrich continued to speed through the streets. He ran another red light and his vehicle began to wobble before striking a 2009 Nissan Maxima head-on. The Maxima’s 52-year-old driver was trapped in her vehicle with major injuries. Goodrich got out of his vehicle, holding a black AR-15-style rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, and ran. He stumbled and fell, dropping the rifle, and then continued to run. He was arrested and admitted being a felon and possessing a firearm.

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

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis area home health care company has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars to settle false claims allegations, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Monday.

As part of the agreement, Deer Valley Home Health Services LLC (DVHH) has agreed to repay $534,475 that the United States and the state of Missouri allege was falsely billed to Medicaid from Oct. 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023. DVHH submitted the claims on behalf of a person who began as a contractor and later became an employee. DVHH should have known that the person was falsely inflating his educational credentials and was claiming that more than 24 hours of service was provided in a single day, the government alleges. The employee/contractor claimed to have provided applied behavior analysis therapy including assessments and treatment plans for individuals with behavioral or developmental conditions. The government alleges he was not qualified to perform those services.

The employee left the company around May of 2023. DVHH disclosed issues related to his conduct in July of 2023 and cooperated with the investigation. DVHH denies knowing that the employee was submitting false claims.

“Today’s settlement underscores a commitment to holding providers accountable for submitting false information and fraudulent claims to the Medicaid program,” said Linda T. Hanley, Special Agent in Charge with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “HHS-OIG, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to protect taxpayer funds and ensure patients receive legitimate services from properly licensed individuals.”

HHS-OIG and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Moore handled the case. 

ST. LOUIS – Three men were indicted Wednesday and accused of participating in the armed robbery of a St. Louis fast food restaurant in September.

Reuel Clower, 43, and Michael Upchurch, 41, both of St. Louis, and Carlos D. Nelson, 23, of Belleville, Ill., now face one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Clower and Upchurch were also indicted on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment alleges that the men robbed a restaurant in the 600 block of North Kingshighway Boulevard on September 24. A motion seeking to have Nelson held in jail until trial says the robbers searched restaurant employees for items of value and then forced them to the ground before stealing cash from the register.

All three have been in custody since November 5.

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

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

ST. LOUIS – A Texas businessman on Thursday admitted fraudulently obtaining $1.9 million from Medicare for COVID-19 test kits.

Companies owned by Rashid Naqvi, 52, of the Houston area, obtained $1,974,479 through the scheme, which lasted from roughly March 2023 to at least October of 2023. As part of his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud, Naqvi admitted fraudulently submitting thousands of claims to Medicare for the kits.

Naqvi operated two laboratories that he used to submit claims to Medicare: Elite Diagnostics Inc. in the Eastern District of Missouri and Astro Diagnostics Inc. in Texas. Naqvi obtained patients’ Medicare numbers and identifiers without their knowledge or consent by paying $488,435 in kickbacks to co-conspirators. He used that information to submit claims to Medicare for test kits that were then sent to patients who had not requested them. Naqvi’s labs billed Medicare a total of 22,898 times for the kits during the scheme. Neither Naqvi nor his labs had any direct contact or relationship with the Medicare patients who were the subject of the claims. Some of the reimbursement claims were for patients who had died before receiving the kits.

Naqvi continued his scheme even after patients called to say that they had not requested the test kits. During subsequent audits by Medicare investigators, Naqvi tried to conceal his scheme by producing false records to investigators, including documents which falsely represented that the Medicare patients authorized the kits. He also hid the kickbacks from investigators.

Naqvi is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2026. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

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

ST. LOUIS – A St. Charles, Missouri man on Wednesday admitted fatally shooting someone during a marijuana deal in 2023.

Trevon Carson, 31, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. Carson admitted accompanying another man who was planning to buy, and then re-sell, marijuana during a May 25, 2023, meeting. Carson drove to the meeting in an alley behind the 4800 block of Farlin Avenue in St. Louis. The victim, who accompanied the seller, had an AR-style firearm. Fearing that the victim would fire the gun, Carson exited his vehicle, fatally shot the victim and took his gun. Carson then drove the buyer away, his plea says.

As part of the plea agreement, the government has agreed to request a sentence of 20 years in prison.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon who supplied the fentanyl that caused one fatal and two nonfatal overdoses in St. Louis in 2023 to 15 years in prison.

On Dec. 2, 2023, Victor Mora approached three men who were at a gas station and offered to take them to buy cocaine. The victims gave Mora $140 and asked for $100 worth of cocaine. Mora got into the victims’ car and directed them to a different location, where he purchased capsules containing white powder from a group of people in the street. Mora told the victims that the capsules contained cocaine, and when the victims returned to the gas station, they snorted the drugs in the car.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers later found the three men unconscious. Two of the victims regained consciousness, but the third victim could not be resuscitated and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The next day, an undercover detective drove one of the victims to the area where Mora purchased the drugs. They spotted Mora, who told the detective to meet him later to buy drugs. Mora was arrested later that day.

Capsules recovered from the victims’ vehicle were tested and contained fentanyl. The deceased victim died of a fentanyl overdose.

“The human life is worth infinitely more than the $140 Victor Mora received from selling purported cocaine to the victims who suffered fentanyl poisoning and in one tragic case, succumbed to the substance,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “Today and every day, remind your loved ones how valuable they are. Remind them of the potentially lethal consequences that can come from drug experimentation. Fentanyl is deadly and its presence in other drugs can go unnoticed until it’s too late. Start the conversation and help save a life.”

Mora, now 41, was on supervised release at the time of his crime, after a 2018 robbery conviction. He pleaded guilty in July to one felony count of distribution of fentanyl.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Reitz prosecuted the case. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man who shot at multiple St. Louis County police officers in 2024 to 22 years in prison.

Dylan Farmer, 21, of Breckenridge Hills, Missouri, pleaded guilty in June to four counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and two counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted firing first at officers with the St. Louis County Police Department Special Response Unit (SRU) who were trying to find someone wanted in connection with a double homicide. On Feb. 13, 2024, a vehicle associated with that wanted person was parked in the 4500 block of Virginia Avenue in St. Louis. When Farmer unlocked the vehicle and got in, officers converged to detain him. All officers wore vests marked “Police,” and three of their vehicles were equipped with blue flashing emergency lights. The officers were also designated as task force officers with the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.

As three officers pulled up in their SUV, Farmer immediately opened fire with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun equipped with a 50-round drum magazine, damaging the SUV. Officers returned fire. Farmer then ran across the street and between some buildings, where he fired one shot at an officer. He then ran down an alley and fired multiple times at a different officer, who ducked behind a dumpster.

Farmer hid on the front porch of a house in the 4500 block of Alaska Avenue. When officers drove down the street and spotted Farmer, he opened fire again, damaging their vehicle, and officers again returned fire. Farmer surrendered after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Officers treated his wounds and summoned an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

One officer was injured when a bullet ricocheted off a vehicle’s window, causing glass to fly into his eye. Another’s ankle was injured when he jumped out of his car to seek cover.

The St. Louis County Police Department, the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Wednesday admitted carjacking a 72-year-old man in 2023.

Kirk Hall, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted being one of two men who stole a BMW X5 on July 7, 2023. Shortly before 1:00 a.m., the victim parked the BMW in a St. Louis County apartment complex. Hall and the other gunman ordered the driver and passenger out. The other gunman then stole the vehicle, taking the driver’s cell phone and other personal items. Hall followed in another vehicle. The BMW was found, unoccupied, a few hours later.

At Hall’s Feb. 18, 2026 sentencing, he faces at least five years in prison for the gun charge, consecutive to the carjacking charge. Carjacking is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole Frankenberg is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced an Ohio man to 16 years in prison for inducing a Missouri teen to send him nude images and videos.

Joseph Bauer, 27, of Cleveland, met a 14-year-old girl via an online social media app in roughly August of 2021.The two communicated regularly online until July 2023. In numerous chat messages Bauer told the victim to send him nude pictures of herself. He also discussed plans for her to leave her family and live with him. In July of 2023, the victim was in Ohio with family. Bauer picked her up and took her to his home. She was found later the same day by police.

Bauer pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in August St. Louis to one count of production of child pornography

The Morrow County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office, the Cleveland Police Department, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a man who sold counterfeit Xanax on the dark web, both before and after he was indicted for doing so, to 54 months in prison.

“I hope you understand that you put people’s lives at risk,” Judge Fleissig told John Cruz.

Cruz, 31, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty on two occasions in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to misbrand, introduce misbranded drugs and sell counterfeit drugs: Nov. 29, 2023, and July 1, 2024. Cruz admitted purchasing counterfeit Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, on the darknet and then reselling it from at least October 2019 through May 2021. He also admitted that while he was out on bond after his 2023 guilty plea, he operated a darknet website where he offered four different types of counterfeit/misbranded pills.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware, in court Tuesday, said Cruz’ continued sale of the drugs demonstrated “arrogance,” a “lack of remorse” and “deliberate anti-social behavior.”

Investigators seized $145,502 from an account Cruz held in the cryptocurrency Monero, representing the proceeds of his illegal pill sales. Cruz has agreed to forfeit the Monero.

“Any medication purchased online should be considered suspicious,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “More often than not, those selling these drugs, including repeat offender John Cruz, are fully aware that the product their pushing is counterfeit and often laced with fentanyl. Cruz is a threat not only to our St. Louis communities, but to anyone who has a computer and access to the dark web. Let today’s sentencing serve as a reminder that prescription medications should only be filled by a licensed pharmacist, not bought online from unknown and unreliable sources.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use.  With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate those utilizing the U.S. Mail for illicit activities, including the distribution of narcotics.  Today’s sentencing reflects the diligent investigative work by Postal Inspectors, and our law enforcement partners,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division, which includes the St. Louis Domicile Office.

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

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former police officer to five years in prison for possessing machine guns.

Ira Brown, 56, admitted that on Oct. 23, 2020, Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers found a fully automatic AR-15 rifle and an auto sear that converts an AR-15 into a fully automatic weapon. The items were found during a court-approved search of Brown’s home prompted by an unrelated investigation. Investigators also found 10,000 rounds of belt-fed .223 caliber ammunition, including armor piercing rounds, in Brown’s Viburnum home, his plea says.

Brown was employed as a dispatcher at a 911 call center at the time of his arrest but formerly worked as a police officer.

Brown fled while out on bond and was arrested in 2024 in Oregon. He pleaded guilty in July of 2025 to possession of a machine gun.

Brown’s son Zerak Brown, now 24, is now serving a 125-month prison sentence after he was convicted at trial in 2021 of two counts of assaulting a federal officer and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Evidence and testimony at trial showed that when troopers showed up to allow Zerak Brown’s girlfriend to remove her belongings from Ira Brown’s home, Zerak Brown refused to allow them to enter. Zerak Brown struggled with the troopers, asked his brother to bring him a gun and then fled. Zerak Brown was later spotted with a rifle and ran away again, encountering law enforcement officers a third time and pointing a rifle at them, evidence and testimony showed. He later turned himself in.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Viburnum Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for the robbery or attempted robbery of eight stores and businesses in St. Louis.

Jermel Rush, 43, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty in June to seven counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted the following acts:

• On June 21, 2018, Rush used an Airsoft gun that appeared to be a handgun to rob a retail store in the 4400 block of Natural Bridge Road. Rush took cash after grabbing a clerk by the neck and dragging her to the cash register.
• On July 6, 2018, Rush used an Airsoft gun that resembled a large revolver to hold employees of a grocery store in the 3600 block of Page Avenue at gunpoint and steal cash.
• On Oct. 9, 2018, Rush tried unsuccessfully to rob a retail store in the 4300 block of North Grand Boulevard by using the Airsoft revolver to force employees to unlock the store after closing time. Rush also threatened to kill the manager.
• On Oct. 28, 2018, Rush grabbed the assistant manager’s neck and used the Airsoft revolver to rob a retail store in the 5000 block of Enright Avenue of cash. He also threatened to kill the assistant manager.
• Two days later, Rush used the Airsoft revolver to rob a retailer in the 1400 block of North Grand Boulevard of cash and clothing.
• On Nov. 8, 2018, Rush used a firearm to rob a business in the 300 block of North Sarah Street of cash and threatened to shoot an employee.
• On Nov. 14, 2018, Ruch robbed a cell phone store in the 4900 block of Delmar Boulevard of cash while armed with a handgun.
• The next day, Rush robbed a retail store in the 3100 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive at gunpoint of cash, Christmas lights and dish towels. He told the manager he would “…blow your head off, hurry up.”

When St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Rush, he had a .40 caliber handgun that matched the description of the gun used in the final three robberies.

On Monday, Judge Fleissig also ordered Rush to repay $4,237 to the businesses that he robbed.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis, Missouri on Monday admitted recording his sexual abuse of a five-year-old.

Marshall Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. Williams admitted sexually abusing the victim and recording it with his cell phone in March of 2024. After the victim’s aunt found the videos, she alerted the victim’s mother and they confronted Williams, who fled. They then contacted the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 19, 2026. His crime carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years, with a maximum term of 30 years.

The St. Louis Metropolitan 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.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – A former Cape Girardeau city councilman on Monday admitted buying methamphetamine with the intent to sell and use it.

Rhettney B. Pierce, 55, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted buying four ounces of meth for $300 on Sept. 26, 2024, in a Cape Girardeau hotel room from a confidential source working with law enforcement. Pierce was arrested immediately after leaving the hotel room. He told investigators that that he had been a habitual meth user since approximately 2019 and snorted a line of meth every morning and afternoon. He also admitted buying three ounces of meth from the confidential source the previous month and selling two ounces out of what he bought.

In his plea agreement, Pierce admitted that throughout the interview with law enforcement, he requested a “break” or a “favor” about 20 times, also asking officers to keep the case quiet and give him “preferential treatment.” Pierce, who was a city councilman at the time, told investigators that he was friends with high-ranking law enforcement officials, judges and prominent members of the Cape Girardeau community.

Investigators found more meth and two handguns in a subsequent court-approved search of Pierce’s home.

Pierce is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, 2026. The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both prison and a fine.

This case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Cape Girardeau Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton is prosecuting the case. 

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Two Missouri men were sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Friday for operating a long-running Ponzi scheme that cost at least 99 victims $5.7 million.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. sentenced James “Jim” Johnson, 78, to 188 months in prison and Darrell Niswonger, 69, to 150 months. Judge Limbaugh also ordered Niswonger and Johnson to repay their victims.

Johnson and Niswonger promised clients of their storefront firm in Perryville, Missouri that their investments were safe and would be placed in municipal bonds earning a moderate, 5% return. But for nearly two decades Johnson and Niswonger instead spent the bulk of clients’ money on lavish lifestyles that included country club memberships, sponsored golf tournaments, hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements to Johnson’s home, educational expenses for a Niswonger relative and yearly salaries of $195,000. They also used some of the money to make payments to victims to lull them into believing that their investments were secure.

The crime began in 2006, when Johnson & Niswonger Financial Resources LLC began experiencing cash flow problems. Johnson and Niswonger started offering clients what they referred to as tax-free and risk-free “municipal bonds,” knowing they were really going to use the money to keep their business and themselves afloat financially. They discouraged investors from withdrawing their money and urged them to roll over their investments because they lacked the funds to make the investors whole, their plea agreements say.

The pair bilked friends, relatives, neighbors and a fund to preserve and maintain a cemetery in Ste. Genevieve County. In dozens of letters, victims described being devastated by the loss of inheritances, retirement savings and the proceeds of the sale of homes and farms.

In one letter to Judge Limbaugh, a widow wrote that she “can’t believe 2 people pretending to be your friend could do such a horrible thing. In this day and time is there no one you can trust?”

One couple wrote that “Niswonger stole what it took us a lifetime to earn. We gave up comforts and luxuries so we could be prepared for the future, and he treated our sacrifices as if they were his to squander. Even now, he continues to rob us; not just of money, but of our peace in these last years of our lives. We cannot go back and earn it again. At our age, there is no starting over.”

Another victim wrote of the theft of $25,000 that her grandmother left to her to buy a house – the only way her family could afford to buy one.

Yet another victim wrote, “I’d like to state how shaken I have become about dealing with people in a county where many still use a handshake to make a deal.”

An 87-year-old woman who invested the $150,000 proceeds of the sale of her house said she can no longer afford rent.

“Niswonger and Johnson’s scheme victimized teachers, factory workers, truck drivers, farmers, a rancher, a waitress and even one of their own employees,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “Their victims were not investing to amass luxuries or pay for vacation properties but to provide for their families, buy their first house or pass on a nest egg to their children or grandchildren, and Niswonger and Johnson preyed on that desire for safe and secure investments.”

“Jim Johnson and Darrell Niswonger exploited and defrauded members of their community for personal gain. The irreparable damage they caused has finally ended and justice has prevailed,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Flowers of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Though the devastating financial impact of their actions will not be forgotten, it is our hope that today’s sentencing brings some closure to their many victims.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Domicile Office.

Johnson and Niswonger pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in August to one count each of wire fraud, securities fraud and investment adviser fraud. Niswonger also pleaded guilty to four additional counts of wire fraud.

Johnson, of Perry County, and Niswonger, of Perryville, agreed to forfeit the $301,749 sales proceeds of Johnson’s home, a 2019 Audi A5 Premium, $61,734 in two bank accounts and $53,588 in brokerage accounts.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.

ST. LOUIS – The former head of payroll for a St. Louis County company on Thursday admitted paying herself an extra $305,000 in salary and bonuses.

Deborah Stinebaker, 49, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of fraudulently effecting transactions. She admitted that while the head of the company's payroll department, she used the company’s financial software to pay herself an extra $305,469 from January 2016 to March of 2024. Her employer discovered her crime when an audit revealed that the company’s financial instability resulted from the embezzlement.

Stinebaker is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, 2026. Stinebaker’s charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. She will also be ordered to repay the money.

The FBI and the Maryland Heights Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.

ST. LOUIS – Rene Arviso Velasquez on Thursday admitted to a cross-country crime spree involving his theft and use of credit cards.

Velasquez, 51, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Velasquez admitted stealing at least $47,000 from victims in the St. Louis area and across the country in “cross-country credit card theft expeditions.”

Three examples are listed in the plea agreement. On Aug. 25, 2024, Velasquez stole one victim’s Lululemon belt bag, which was hanging from her seat while she was eating at a restaurant in Cottleville, Missouri. Less than an hour later, Velasquez used the victim’s credit card to purchase five Visa gift cards and a pack of salted nuts for $1,031. That same day, Velasquez stole a different victim’s purse at a Brentwood restaurant. Less than an hour later, he bought $1,445 worth of gift cards. On Nov. 3, 2024, Velasquez stole a woman’s wallet at a St. Peters restaurant. Less than an hour later, he used one of her credit cards to buy five Visa gift cards and a Pepsi for $1035.

Velasquez, who has used the names Miguel Antonio Carrasco-Gomez and Henry Diaz, was living in Tarzana, Calif., but is a Chilean national. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, 2026. The access device fraud charges carry a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The aggravated identity theft carries a penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to the other charges.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

During the lapse in government funding, the U.S. Attorney’s offices in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau were working hard to continue their mission. Here are just some of the things that happened that we weren’t able to discuss at the time:

Wed. Oct. 1

Starr Lumos, 54, admitted committing over $201,000 in fraud by pretending to be disabled and unable to work. Despite those claims, she was working multiple jobs and running multiple businesses, including an event planning company. Lumos is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

Friday Oct. 3

A former doctor who pleaded guilty in 2020 to a charge of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery admitted seeking employment using a stolen identity.  Angela K. Williams, 40, pleaded guilty to identity theft and admitted seeking employment on the medical staff of the Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority in Oklahoma and in other locations by stealing the identity of a St. Louis doctor. Williams submitted forged diplomas with the doctor’s name and a forged State of Missouri medical license with her application. She could face up to five years in prison when sentenced in January.

Monday Oct. 6

Victoria Isgriggs, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and admitted stealing over $164,000 from her employer, a Franklin County nursery and florist, in a variety of ways. Sentencing for Isgriggs, formerly known as Victoria Denise Missey, is set for January.

Tuesday Oct. 7

The United States reached a settlement with Fiserv Inc. and Fiserv Solutions LLC in which the companies agreed to pay $8.99 million to resolve allegations – brought forth by a whistleblower - that Fiserv took improper discounts on postage from the U.S. Postal Service.

Four men were indicted in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau and accused of involvement in an arson that destroyed the Midway restaurant in Puxico, Missouri and damaged two other businesses. Two of the men, Steven D. Phillips and his son Matthew S. Phillips, are co-owners of the restaurant and one, Larry D. Doublin, is the Chief of the Puxico Volunteer Fire Department, the indictment says. All have pleaded not guilty and are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Patrick Neistat, 24, of Florissant, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and admitted soliciting and receiving child sexual abuse material from a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old and engaging in sexual contact with a minor male. Neistat faces between five and 20 years in prison at his January 29 sentencing hearing.

Carlan Travis Penney Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in illegal sexual activity. He admitted exchanging nude photos with a 15-year-old Missouri teen that he’d met online. Penney then brought the victim from Missouri to his home state of Georgia. He now faces at least 10 years in prison and a maximum prison term of life.

Edgar Love, a felon caught by St. Louis police with ammunition after his girlfriend accused him of assault, was sentenced to 137 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig found that Love obstructed the police investigation by flushing drugs down the toilet and disposing of two guns and ammunition before police could arrest him. Evidence and testimony showed that Love assaulted his girlfriend multiple times and repeatedly threatened her and her relatives with guns. Evidence and testimony also showed that Love possessed a firearm when he was wounded during a gun battle in August of 2022, about 30 days after his release from prison.

Anthony Justin Snelson, 39, of Arnold, was sentenced to 65 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for trying to meet with a 16-year-old to engage in sexual activity.

Wednesday Oct. 8

A superseding indictment was handed down accusing St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery of retaliating against persons he thought were cooperating with a federal investigation. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Sharon Dolisi, 79, of St. James, Missouri was arrested after having been indicted and accused of acting as a “money mule” and receiving $2.1 million from lottery and sweepstakes fraud victims across the U.S. She has pleaded not guilty and is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Darryl Jaspering, 62, of Warrenton, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities and admitted threatening the St. Louis office of the NAACP. Jaspering admitted writing a racist, profane and threatening message on the NAACP’s online contact page, including threats to “blow your… head off” and “bust you… with a… Hatchet.” Jaspering is scheduled to be sentenced on February 5.

Friday Oct. 10

Brian K. Ditch, 45, of Salem, Missouri, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted neglecting his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for years and then concealing his death so that he could fraudulently obtain his uncle’s $1.8 million in disability benefits.

Bridgette Johnson, 61, of Berkeley, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and admitted fraudulently applying for and receiving $120,000 from the COVID-19 pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program. She also admitted fraudulently applying for $1 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loans and receiving $9,000 in advances on those applications. She faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced.

Tuesday Oct. 14

Timothy Kelley, 60, of Sullivan, Missouri, was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. He was also ordered to pay $45,000 to victims who have been identified in the CSAM he collected. RWS/Hayes.

Maurice Dowell, 70, of Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography and admitted downloading and sharing child sexual abuse material on a peer-to-peer network.

Stanley E. Alford, 58, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the armed robbery of a Fenton, Missouri store on Jan. 24, 2024, and a pawnshop in St. Louis County two days later. He was also ordered to pay $3,172 in restitution.

Wednesday Oct. 15

A jury found Carl Bowman, 37, guilty of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence and testimony at the two-day trial showed that the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Bowman Aug. 8, 2023, on a supervised release violation warrant at his residence in St. Louis County. At the time, Bowman was in possession of an AK-style rifle with a large capacity magazine, a stolen AR-15 rifle with a large capacity magazine and two semi-automatic pistols, both with large capacity magazines. Bowman is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

Reginald M. Miller, a registered sex offender who molested a 14-year-old boy and provided cash and marijuana in exchange for child sexual abuse material, was sentenced to 400 months in prison. Miller, 57, lived in Park Hills, Missouri.

Jonniece Wilson, 20, of St. Louis, admitted stealing a Hyundai Accent at gunpoint on March 12, 2024, in St. Louis. She was a passenger in that stolen car when it fled from police minutes later before crashing and injuring a pedestrian. Wilson was arrested with a handgun in her backpack. She now faces up to 15 years in prison for carjacking and a mandatory, consecutive term of seven years for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Rachel Burns, 35, of Franklin County, Missouri, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the sexual abuse of a one-year-old. Her husband, William Burns, 41, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in September.

Thursday Oct. 16

After a two-day bench trial, U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine found Roosevelt Easley, 40, of St. Louis, guilty of two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence and testimony at trial showed that on March 29, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers stopped a vehicle driven by Easley.  Marijuana and a firearm were in plain view in the vehicle.  On Sept. 10, 2022, St. Louis police attempted to make a traffic stop of Easley’s vehicle, but he sped off. Easley eventually crashed the vehicle into a tree before running away. Officers found two firearms in the vehicle. Judge Divine also found that Easley had at least three previous convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses. At sentencing, if Judge Divine rules that the enhanced penalty provisions of the Armed Career Criminal Act apply, Easley will face at least 15 years in prison.

Registered sex offender Leland Paster, 42, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he admitted possessing child sexual abuse material on a hidden SD card and searching for and viewing CSAM while on supervised release from a prior CSAM conviction in Alaska.

Tuesday Oct. 21

Jeremy S. Crocker, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau and admitted setting a fire on March 2, 2025, in the Mark Twain National Forest in Iron County, Missouri. The fire consumed more than one acre of timber before firefighters were able to put it out. Crocker is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

Wednesday Oct. 22

Steve Allen Hall, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of making a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer. He admitted unlawfully trying to buy a handgun in Caruthersville, Missouri in June of 2025 while he was facing pending charges of child molestation. The sale was blocked by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Hall is scheduled to be sentenced in January and could face up to five years in prison.

Sean Paul II, 22, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted viewing and possessing child sexual abuse material, including before and after he was interviewed by law enforcement. While on bond, Paul received nude images and images of self-harm from someone purporting to be a 16-year-old girl. At sentencing, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Errion Lavonte-Stallings, 25, of St. Louis County, and four others were indicted and accused of involvement in a conspiracy that stole checks from the mail and then attempted to deposit more than $250,000 in fraudulent checks into bank accounts. Lavonte-Stallings and two others have been arrested and have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Johnika Davis, 37, and Jimmie Moorehead, 47, were indicted on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of making false statements related to health care matters. The indictment accuses them of falsely claiming to have physical disabilities and need Medicaid-funded personal care services in exchange for kickbacks from a co-conspirator. The St. Louis residents have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Thursday Oct. 23

Connie Bobo, 46, of St. Charles, Missouri, was convicted by a jury of three counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and two counts of obstruction of an official proceeding after a three-day trial. Evidence and testimony at the trial showed that Bobo, who was executive director of New Heights Community Resource Center at the time, stole $19.7 million from a program meant to feed the most vulnerable children in the state of Missouri. That loss is the largest theft of child nutrition funds in state history, evidence showed. Bobo spent the money on luxury goods, homes for relatives, a new home for herself, a $200,000 Mercedes for a romantic partner and a $2.2 million commercial real estate investment, evidence and testimony showed.  Bobo is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2026. The wire fraud and obstruction charges each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge. Bobo will also be ordered to pay restitution.

Pavel “Supreme” Gil, 35, of New York City, was sentenced to 132 months in prison and ordered to repay $517,900 to victims of a bank fraud conspiracy that he masterminded. Gil obtained the names and account information of the customers of regional banks across the country. Giovanni Resto, 34, of New York City, then manufactured counterfeit ID cards containing the photos of co-conspirators and the victims' names and birthdates. Oladiran Ajayi-Obe, 29, Jersey City, new Jersey, ran a crew of conspirators that traveled from the New York metropolitan area to banks around the country to make withdrawals from the victims' bank accounts. Gil and 15 others have pleaded guilty to charges connected to the case.

Jemek'treon Lebrandon Easton, 28, of Charleston, Missouri pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of possession of a machine gun. Easton admitted that a Charleston Police Department officer caught him on May 17, 2025, with a .45-caliber Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” or auto sear, that enables it to fire as a fully automatic weapon. Shell casings from the gun match those recovered from a shooting that injured three on April 26, 2025. Easton now faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced.

Friday Oct. 24

A St. Louis County company, E&A Auto Cores LLC, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of stolen goods and admitted buying stolen catalytic converters from Missouri, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington and Idaho. The company also agreed to pay a $90,000 fine, a forfeiture money judgement of $50,000 and agreed to forfeit 269 catalytic converters that were seized by the St. Louis County Police Department on Sept. 24, 2020.

Monday Oct. 27

Donald Held, 51, of Warren County, who possessed and shared child sexual abuse material online, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Corey M. Felton, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that during a dispute with a woman on Nov. 27, 2024, he took the woman’s gun and then carjacked her. He also admitted robbing a man he met via Grindr on December 2. Felton also stipulated that prosecutors could prove by a preponderance of the evidence that on November 28, he robbed another man he met on Grindr, and on December 10, he exchanged gunfire with others in the 3500 block of South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis, using the stolen gun. Felton is scheduled to be sentenced February 19. The felon in possession charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and the robbery charge has a maximum term of 20 years. The brandishing charge carries a penalty of at least seven years in prison, consecutive to any other charge.

Tuesday Oct. 28

Gordon Lee Smith, 52, of Washington County, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of the possession of unregistered firearms. He admitted illegally possessing five machine guns and seven silencers. He now faces up to 10 years in prison.

Carlos Romero-Salazar, 40, of St. Charles County, Missouri, and five of his nine co-defendants were arrested after having been indicted and accused of involvement in a “jackpotting” conspiracy that stole cash from ATMs. The indictment says Romero-Salazar, a technician for an ATM maintenance service company, installed malware on ATM hard drives that allowed others to take control and force the ATMs to dispense more than $940,000 in one week. Romero-Salazar has pleaded not guilty, as have the others arrested. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Wednesday Oct. 29

A jury found Irven l. White, 47, of St. Louis, guilty of six felonies: two counts each of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence and testimony showed that on Nov. 1, 2023, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer saw White conducting what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the 4400 block of Farlin Avenue.  When other officers approached, White fled, discarding a firearm, and was immediately detained. Officers found fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base.  On August 26, 2024, officers were notified that White, who had an outstanding warrant for the November 1 incident, was again conducting a hand-to-hand drug transaction.  He fled officers again, leaving behind a bag containing two guns. He was arrested in a nearby home, where officers found fentanyl and cocaine base. White is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. Among his prior convictions is one for second degree murder.

Dillon Miller, 31, of Farmington, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and admitted possessing thousands of images of child sexual abuse material, making images available online and sexually abusing minors when he was a minor.

Alexander Sampson, 39, and Dana Kelly, 47, were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and two counts of making a false statement. The indictment accuses them of fraudulently obtaining a $397,210 pandemic relief loan for Reign Restaurant LLC in 2021. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Thursday Oct. 30

Antony C. Campise, 39, of St. Peters, Missouri, was sentenced to 130 months in prison. Campise pleaded guilty in May to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and admitted possessing multiple firearms. During the sentencing hearing, witness testimony showed that Campise possessed the firearm during a violent domestic assault and did so to exert power and control over the victim.

Anton Bolden, 31, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 138 months in prison for selling fentanyl to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2023, as well as Glock handguns equipped with a “switch” or auto sear that convert them into a machine gun and a standalone conversion device. Thirteen firearms, including one machine gun and three conversion devices, were later found at the home of Bolden, a convicted felon.

Deionte Grice, 31, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He admitted stealing a 2020 Kia Optima at gunpoint from a woman in the 5300 block of Devonshire Avenue in St. Louis on Jan. 5, 2024. Grice also stole the victim’s phone and purse. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers caught Grice on a bus with two handguns in the stolen purse. He now faces up to 15 years in prison for the carjacking charge and a mandatory, consecutive term of seven years for the brandishing charge.

Corie M. Boyer, 50, of Jefferson County, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and admitted embezzling more than $550,000 from the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in DeSoto, including by stealing cash from the offertory. Boyer was parish bookkeeper and secretary at the time of her crimes. She faces up to 20 years in prison at her January 30 sentencing.

Monday Nov. 3

Anthony Virdure, a former U.S. Postal Service mail handler who stole checks from the mail and committed pandemic fraud, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to repay his fraudulently-obtained Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan of $20,832. Virdure, 31, pleaded guilty in July to mail theft and wire fraud.

Tuesday Nov. 4

A St. Louis area contractor, Coretta “Cory” Elliott, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and admitted fraudulently obtaining pandemic loans totaling $1.7 million. Elliott obtained a first draw Paycheck Protection Program loan of $875,000 in 2020 and a second draw loan of $833,333 in 2021 by falsely certifying that the loans would be used for business-related purposes and by inflating her company’s monthly payroll. She then received loan forgiveness by falsely claiming that she used the money for payroll and other legitimate business expenses when she really used it for impermissible personal purposes. Elliott faces up to 30 years in prison at her sentencing in February and will be ordered to repay the money.

Elder scammer Jiacheng Chen, 21, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Chen was the fifth defendant in the case to be sentenced. Yu-chieh Huang, 24, was sentenced to 40 months in prison, Tsz Kan, 43, received 54 months, Liang Jin, 26, received a 48-month sentence, Kaiyu Wen, 27, received 72 months. Huang, Jin and Wen were each ordered to pay $90,000 in restitution and Jin was fined $120,000. Scammers targeted older Americans with tech support fraud, romance fraud, and imposter schemes and tricked their victims into handing over large amounts of cash to money mules.

Dorian Scott, a convicted felon who was caught by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers in 2024 with a handgun and nearly 5,000 pills containing fentanyl, was sentenced to 126 months in prison. Scott pleaded guilty in July possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Wednesday Nov. 5

Alexander Gardiner, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and admitted the sextortion of a Missouri teen. Gardiner, who is a citizen of both the United States and the Turks and Caicos, admitted meeting a 15-year-old Missouri boy via Snapchat. After multiple requests by Gardiner, the teen sent photos of his genitals to Gardiner, believing he would be left alone after doing so. Gardiner instead threatened to send those images to the victim’s family and friends if the victim did not continue to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for Gardiner. Gardiner also admitted directing an unidentified 14-year-old to produce CSAM in 2021. Gardiner posted CSAM on Twitter and a link to a Telegram group that targeted minors in attempts to have them produce CSAM. Gardiner could face 10 years to life prison when sentenced in February.

Talito Amos, 32, of Beverly Hills, Missouri, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling drugs as part of the “55 Boyz” south St. Louis drug gang. Amos pleaded guilty in August and admitted sourcing fentanyl and meth for the drug trafficking organization, coordinating drug sales and selling directly to drug users.

A superseding indictment added defendants and charges to an indictment alleging a conspiracy to employ and harbor illegal aliens. Guo Liang Ye, 56, of St. Charles County, De Jin Ye, 56, Feng Ye, 34, and Maria Cruz-Cortes, 30, are accused of employing illegal aliens at the Golden Apple Buffet in St. Charles, housing them and providing them fraudulent Social Security cards and immigration documents. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.

Thursday Nov. 6

Dameon G. Christian, 42, of Washington Park, Illinois, pleaded guilty and admitted posting public threats on his Facebook page in May of 2025 to kill two people. He also admitted that prosecutors can prove that he fired multiple gunshots at a north St. Louis church and at a home in East St. Louis. Christian pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a threat in interstate commerce and one count of transporting a firearm across state lines with the intent to commit a felony. At his sentencing in February, he could face up to five years in prison for the threat changes and up to 10 years in prison for the gun charge.

Wednesday Nov. 12

Daniel Paulino, the former police chief and city administrator of Velda City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and admitted embezzling at least $158,000 from the city in multiple ways while admitting additional fraud yet to be finally calculated by the Court. Without the knowledge and authority of the city: Paulino caused three checks totaling $1,800 and 20 direct deposits of $30,677 to be issued to himself. Paulino used a city credit card to transfer $37,550 to businesses owned by himself and his spouse. He triggered the payment of direct deposits of city funds totaling $54,693 to his personal bank account, falsely represented as the salary of his spouse for purportedly working in the city’s public works division. Paulino also admitted using city funds to pay for additional personal expenses, including $25,500 to buy a tow truck for his company, $3,956 for a Caribbean vacation and $4,000 that went to an Audi dealer. Paulino, 51, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 10, 2026. Each wire fraud count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The total amount of restitution that Paulino will be ordered to pay has not yet been determined.

Robert Nelson Howell, 60, of Madison County, Kentucky, was sentenced to 90 months in prison after being convicted at trial in August of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Howell was caught with duffel bags containing a gun and $12,000 in cash. Howell was driving a stolen vehicle with fake license plates and a fake vehicle identification number and admitted being Involved in drug trafficking. 

ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from Salem, Missouri on Friday admitted neglecting his uncle, a U.S. Army veteran with quadriplegia, for years and then concealing his death to fraudulently obtain $1.8 million in his uncle’s disability benefits.

Brian K. Ditch, 45, pleaded guilty to four felony counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Ditch was solely responsible for his uncle’s care beginning in 2008. Instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch kept him locked away and subjected him to insufficient care and verbal abuse. After fraudulently gaining access to his uncle’s financial accounts, Ditch regularly wired himself money. When his uncle died around 2019, Ditch concealed his death from relatives, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration so that he could continue to steal his uncle’s money. Ditch hid the body in a shed behind his house, telling relatives that he had moved his uncle into a nursing home and police that his uncle was living with another caregiver.

Since 2008, the VA’s Disability Compensation program deposited approximately $1.6 million into his account. Ditch’s uncle also received a total of $235,210 in benefits from the Social Security Administration.

Ditch used the money for personal purchases, including exotic reptiles and firearms. As a convicted felon, Ditch is barred from possessing firearms.

Ditch is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The felon in possession charge is punishable by up to 15 years and the same fine. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory penalty of two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge.

The Salem Police Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
 

This press release was posted November 13, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

ST. LOUIS – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri has finalized a civil settlement to resolve allegations that Fiserv Inc. and Fiserv Solutions LLC failed to comply with the United States Postal Service (USPS) Move Update standard and took improper postage discounts.  

As part of the settlement, Fiserv will repay the United States $8,994,221, of which $5,032,525 is restitution to the USPS.  

Fiserv is a global company, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that provides customers with printing and mailing services for items such as invoices, financial statements, health care related documents and credit cards. Fiserv operates a facility in Hazlewood, Missouri. The settlement announced today resolves allegations that Fiserv did not properly comply with the USPS Move Update standard that allows mailers to claim postage discounts on presorted and bulk mail. The Move Update standard is a means for the USPS to reduce the amount of mail that requires forwarding or return by the periodic matching and updating of addresses.

The settlement resolves allegations brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Deborah Lynn Getchman, a former employee of Fiserv. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.  The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Deborah Lynn Getchman v. Fiserv, Inc. and Fiserv Solutions, LLC, Case No. 4:21-cv-00951 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.  Getchman will receive $1,596,474 of the proceeds from the settlement.

“The United States Postal Service provides discounts to mailers who meet the certain standards of reducing the volume of mail that requires being forwarding or returned,” said Tammy Hull, U.S. Postal Service Inspector General. “Any company falsely claiming these discounts should know that we will pursue this fraud and bring them to justice. This case highlights the important role whistleblowers play in our work. We thank this whistleblower for coming forward and reporting these fraudulent activities.”

“We thank the whistleblower in this case and we encourage others who know of an individual or company defrauding the government to bring their concerns forward,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “This settlement is an example of our important civil enforcement efforts where we work with whistleblowers to protect government funds.”  

This civil settlement was a result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and the USPS Office of Inspector General Contract Fraud Investigation Division.

This press release was posted November 13, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

ST. LOUIS – A Warrenton, Missouri man on Wednesday admitted making threats directed at the St. Louis office of the NAACP.

Darryl Jaspering, 62, of Warrenton, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities. Jaspering admitted writing a racist, profane and threatening message on the NAACP’s online contact page, including threats to “blow your… head off” and “bust you… with a… Hatchet and make you bleed….”

Jaspering is scheduled to be sentenced on February 5.

"Darryl Jaspering’s guilty plea should send a clear message that the FBI is serious about investigating hate crimes. Threats and acts of violence against any group, especially those based on race, religion, or any other characteristic, will not be tolerated," warned Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker. "We are committed to ensuring all members of our community can live and work without fear of being targeted for who they are. FBI St. Louis stands as a strong partner in protecting the rights and safety of everyone in our region."

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

This press release was posted November 19, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

ST. LOUIS – Seven more people associated with a south St. Louis drug gang have pleaded guilty to drug and gun crimes, U.S. Attorney Tom Albus announced Tuesday.

Michelle Harris, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. The six others have already pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced over the next three months.

Talito “Scoot” Amos, 32, of Beverly Hills, Missouri, pleaded guilty August 6 to four felony counts: conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He admitted selling fentanyl and meth as part of the “55 Boyz” drug trafficking organization. He also admitted sourcing the drugs, telling drug users who called or texted where to go to buy drugs and selling directly to the users, including an undercover law enforcement officer. He also admitted directing others in the conspiracy to answer calls and texts and meet users to sell fentanyl and meth.

On Jan. 23, 2024, shortly after Talito Amos sold an undercover ATF agent 312 capsules containing fentanyl and offered to sell a pound of meth, investigators conducted a court-approved search of a home on Castilon Avenue in St. Louis County. Talito Amos, Norey Amos and Jayvaughn Taylor were there, along with 1,178 capsules containing fentanyl, an AK-style pistol, meth, a pill press, digital scales, fentanyl powder and a drug ledger. Talito Amos had the phone being used by the drug trafficking organization to communicate with customers and over $1,900 in cash, his plea says. They also searched a home he sometimes used in Florissant, finding a disassembled AR-style rifle and 85 capsules containing fentanyl.

Fifteen other members or associates of the 55 Boyz were sentenced last year in a separate case. At one point, the gang was responsible for a significant amount of the fentanyl being sold in south St. Louis.

Carlos “Los Bandz” Amos, 28, entered an open plea on August 11 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams of more of methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Xavier Amos, 23, pleaded guilty on September 25 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. He admitted acting as a driver for others, answering calls and texts from drug users and selling fentanyl and meth. Norey Amos, 25, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He admitted discarding a bag of 154 capsules containing fentanyl while being pursued by police. John Ford, 64, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams of more of meth. Jayvaughn Taylor, 24, pleaded guilty in July to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Taylor, Talito Amos, Xavier Amos and Norey Amos are half-brothers. Carlos Amos is a cousin. Harris is the mother of Taylor and Talito Amos.

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

ST. LOUIS – Two people who attempted to kidnap and rob a St. Louis apartment property manager at gunpoint in 2024 have been sentenced to prison for that and other crimes.

U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced Emma M. Cunningham, 33, to 112 months in prison. Judge Schelp sentenced Jervonz L. Williams, 49, to 225 months in prison on September 24.

Cunningham bought the .38-caliber revolver used in the attempted kidnapping months earlier. On Feb. 20, 2024, she lied on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Form 4473 when she claimed she was buying the gun for herself and when she denied being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. She bought it for Williams, her boyfriend and a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.

Williams used the gun to threaten others, including one of Cunningham’s neighbors. He also admitted using it to rob a drug dealer of $17, a gun and cocaine base in late June of 2024. Williams struck the dealer on the head with the revolver multiple times during the robbery.

Williams and Cunningham used that gun again during the Aug. 5, 2024, attempted kidnapping. The property manager arrived to meet Cunningham, her tenant, for a final apartment walkthrough that had been scheduled in advance by Cunnigham. After the victim arrived, Cunningham locked the apartment door. Williams threatened to kill the victim when she tried to call 911. Williams then demanded cash and the password to the victim’s phone so that the couple could access the victim’s financial accounts. They secured her to a chair with duct tape, but she broke free and was able to escape, even though Cunningham and Williams ripped off her shirt and tore out clumps of her hair trying to keep her from leaving. Two days later, police arrested the couple. Williams had the revolver and Cunningham was in possession of a box of ammunition.

“This case is a stark reminder of the devastation that follows when someone illegally buys a gun for another person,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard “Butch” Hansen, of the Kansas City Field Division. “A straw purchase is not a harmless favor. It’s a federal crime that can arm dangerous felons and fuel violent acts like the attempted kidnapping and robbery we saw here. ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable anyone who thinks they can skirt the law and put our communities at risk.”

Both Cunningham and Williams pleaded guilty in June. Cunningham pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon and making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm. Williams pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man to five years in prison for bribing employees of Missouri motor vehicle license offices to fraudulently register motor vehicles.

Judge Schelp also ordered Gary Wilds, 48, to pay restitution of $335,218, including $319,778 to the state of Missouri.

Wilds bribed employees of motor vehicle license offices to falsely represent to the Missouri Department of Revenue that vehicles had passed emissions and safety inspections, that owners had paid their property taxes and had proof of insurance or other evidence of financial responsibility. Wilds also bribed employees into submitting forged documents claiming that vehicle owners were eligible for sales tax exemptions, thus reducing tax assessments from thousands of dollars per vehicle to as little as $11.

Wilds recruited Michelle Boyer and Megan Leone to aid his conspiracy. When Leone was promoted to manager, she told Ashlyn Graeff, who was her subordinate and who began working at the office in 2018, to fraudulently complete vehicle registration documents on behalf of Wilds. Wilds paid his recruits up to $100 for each transaction. Graeff initially conducted one or two fraudulent registrations per week for Wilds but that eventually grew to as many as 10 per day.

Some of the customers of Wilds’ business, Pinnacle Concierge, knew that Wilds was going to fraudulently register their vehicles because their vehicles could not pass emissions tests, they had outstanding child support orders or they had been barred from registering vehicles by another state agency. Customers who weren’t aware have suffered financial losses because Wilds only submitted part of their fees to the state and the fraudulent registrations were subsequently revoked. Even though these customers paid Wilds for their registrations, they are unable to properly register their vehicles without submitting the unpaid taxes and paying taxes and penalties to the state.

In one example in Wilds’ plea agreement, Wilds and Graef fraudulently registered a 2022 Dodge Ram for a customer on Sept. 13, 2022. Wilds told his customer that $1,350 would satisfy the fees and taxes due, but Wilds only sent $14.50 to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Wilds and Graeff avoided paying sales taxes by submitting a fraudulent form that falsely claimed that the vehicle weighed 24,000 pounds and was being leased to an interstate carrier registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Gary Wilds pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 22 counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of making a false statement. Graeff, now 40, pleaded guilty to three counts of making a false statement. Leone, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. Boyer, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Boyer was sentenced on September 18 to five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $206,847. Graeff was sentenced on July 17, 2024, to four years of probation and ordered to pay $84,554 in restitution. Leone is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8.

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

ST. LOUIS – A high school baseball coach in Illinois has been indicted and accused of drug trafficking crimes.

Demetrius Combs, 33, of Sauget, Illinois, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on August 27 with one count of distribution of fentanyl, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute in excess of 400 grams of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment accuses Combs of conducting the drug sales between June and August of 2023.

Combs was arrested on September 25 and pleaded not guilty.

A motion seeking to have Combs held in jail until trial says an undercover officer with the St. Louis County Police Department purchased fentanyl on one occasion from Combs and meth on two occasions. During a court-approved search of Combs’ home in Bellefontaine Neighbors, officers found $3,746 in cash and capsules containing fentanyl in Combs’ possession. In his car, police found a pistol, three cell phones and more capsules containing fentanyl. In his home they found multiple firearms, two cell phones, thousands of dollars in cash, a pill press, fentanyl, meth and drug paraphernalia. One of the handguns was equipped with an auto sear or “switch” that converted it into a fully automatic weapon, the motion says.

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

The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who helped steal a pistol from a Cape Girardeau County gun store to 40 months in prison.

Danaje Raymond Webster and his co-defendant, Dayvion Jyraud Parker, will also have to pay restitution of $1,999. Parker was sentenced in March to 70 months in prison.

On June 17, 2024, Webster, of Cape Girardeau, removed a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol from the display case at a federally licensed firearm dealer in Cape Girardeau County and handed it to Parker. Parker first hid the pistol under his jacket before handing it to Webster, who hid it between Parker’s back and the back of Parker’s wheelchair. Parker then bought ammunition and a magazine for a different firearm and both men left the store. After store employees noticed the missing pistol, they discovered the culprits by reviewing surveillance video.

On June 25, law enforcement officers performing a court-approved search of a home in Cape Girardeau found Parker, who is a felon, lying on a bed with two pistols between the bed frame and the wall. Both pistols were equipped with auto sears, or “switches,” converting them into fully automatic weapons.

Webster, 24, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in July to one count of stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer. Parker, now 22, pleaded guilty in October of 2024 to five felonies: stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of a machine gun.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Friday sentenced a Missouri man to 152 months in prison for transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

JoeMarius Green, 25, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison. Green pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to one felony count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in prostitution. He admitted taking the minor from Dallas to Kansas City on Feb. 12, 2023, to engage in prostitution during the Super Bowl. After about four days, Green brought the victim and others to a St. Louis area hotel for the same reason. Green managed the online prostitution ads, rented hotel rooms, set price points for sex acts and took all cash proceeds from the victim’s commercial sex acts.

Green’s co-defendant, Chantel Robinson, 21, was sentenced in July to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography. Robinson admitted engaging in commercial sex acts, taking sexually explicit and sexually suggestive photos of minors and posting online ads. She also oversaw the prostitution activities of minors when Green was away.

The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 – Five people have admitted participating in a scheme that stole millions of dollars from elderly victims in ten states via a tech support scam.

Dariona Lambert, 23, Zhamoniq Stevens, 24, Chintankumar Parekh, 52, Mehulkumar Darji, 42, and Sital Singh, 43, have all pleaded guilty in the last month to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Darji did so Friday morning.

The conspiracy originated overseas, with scammers who contacted elderly victims via telephone calls and electronic messages, falsely claiming that the victims’ savings and retirement accounts had been compromised. They told their victims to transfer funds to the conspirators to keep their accounts secure, often via the purchase of gold bars or coins. The overseas conspirators would then send couriers to pick up the gold. Lambert and Stevens admitted being couriers. They were managed by Darji, Parekj and Singh, who admitted being the “handlers” who collected the gold and paid the couriers in cash.

The government believes that the overseas scammers netted $9.3 million from victims.

Scammers told one of the victims, an 82-year-old St. Louis woman, that they were a computer software support team and that her financial accounts had been compromised. They told her she needed to pay money to prevent her funds from being stolen, and transfer money into newly opened accounts before wiring money overseas. They also told her to buy about $250,000 worth of gold bars and sent Lambert to pick up the gold, the plea agreements say. On May 1, 2024, Lambert flew from Gainesville, Florida to St. Louis. Parekh rented a car and drove Lambert to a parking lot near the victim’s home, where Lambert switched to an Uber. Lambert was intercepted by law enforcement agents when she arrived at the victim’s home. After Parekh was alerted by Lambert that she had been apprehended, he fled to Pittsburgh.

Parekh admitted also working as a handler in gold bar pickups from victims in Yuma and Scottsdale in Arizona; Placentia and La Jolla in California; Largo, Florida; Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Pittsburgh, Penn.. Singh worked a handler in gold bar pickups from victims in Collierville, Tenn.; Universal City, Texas; and Greendale, Wisc.. Darji worked as a handler in gold bar pickups from Scottsdale, Largo and La Jolla, receiving three separate FedEx packages containing gold bars obtained from the Largo victim, it says. Lambert worked as a courier in Scottsdale; Placentia; La Jolla; Largo; Universal City; Hanover, Mass.; and Erie, Penn.. Stevens worked as a courier in gold bar pickups from victims in Yuma; La Jolla; Collierville; Largo; Greendale; Oxnard, Calif.; Long Island, N.Y.; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Parekh and Darji are in the United States unlawfully. Parekh overstayed his work visa and Darji was removed from the country in 2014.

Lambert, Stevens and Parekh are scheduled to be sentenced in November, and Singh on December 3. Darji’s sentencing is set for December 22.

The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both prison and a fine.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.

If someone you know is a victim of a cyber scam, report it to the FBI. You can file the complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or use 1-800-CALL-FBI.

ST. LOUIS – A Romanian national who has repeatedly entered the United States illegally on Thursday admitted costing big box stores across the country at least $161,000 with a sleight-of-hand fraud.

Adrian Stoica, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of wire fraud and one count of illegal entry into the United States. He admitted conducting at least 170 transactions at stores in 20 states between November 2021 and March 2025.

After cashiers scanned merchandise, prepaid gift cards, and electronic money transfers for Stoica, he counted out cash into piles to trick cashiers into believing that he would be paying the full price. He collected the piles and then slipped bills from the bottom of the stack into his pocket, short-changing the stores by hundreds of dollars or more in each transaction. Stoica would then move on to a store in a different area.

Stoica’s plea agreement mentions three transactions in Missouri. On Feb. 17, 2023, he shortchanged the cashier of a Chesterfield store by approximately $860. On Sept. 7, 2023, his scheme cost a store in O’Fallon, Missouri about $690. The next day, he cost a Fenton store about $660.

Stoica is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The illegal entry charge carries a prison term of up to two years and the same fine. Stoica will also be ordered to repay the money and will be deported.

Stoica illegally entered the country in 2016 via Arizona, around October 2018 via Texas and sometime before November 2021 via an unknown location. He was ordered removed from the country in May of 2018 and deported in February of 2020. Stoica has used the names Boeri Kvec, Borri Kvec, Boeri Stoica and Adrian Anghel, his plea agreement says.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations handled the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.