Western District of Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a 13-month-old child and distributing child pornography.

Kenneth Howard Worthy, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Worthy to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration. Worthy will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On Dec. 6, 2022, Worthy was found guilty at trial of one count of the sexual exploitation of a child by producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.

Worthy’s criminal activities came to light during an investigation of another individual involved with child pornography.  That individual informed investigators that Worthy had transmitted images of himself engaged in sexual acts with a child.

On March 4, 2021, law enforcement officers contacted Worthy at his residence. Worthy admitted that he had used a child victim under the age of two, identified in court documents as “John Doe,” to produce child pornography. Worthy also told investigators he sent pornographic images of the child victim to another person.

Officers seized Worthy’s cell phone. Investigators found 10 images of child pornography that depicted John Doe and Worthy.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Beaver, James J. Kelleher and Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for uploading hundreds of images and videos of child pornography to his online storage accounts, as well as sending videos of child pornography to an Ohio teenager.

Joshua M. Rodgers, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Rodgers to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration and to pay $35,000 in restitution to his victims. Rodgers will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On July 17, 2023, Rodgers pleaded guilty to one count of transporting child pornography. Rodgers admitted that he uploaded hundreds of images and videos of child pornography to his cloud storage online Google account, particularly in his Google Drive file, as well as to Dropbox, an online cloud file storage program, from Dec. 4, 2017, to Feb. 27, 2019.

On April 29, 2019, the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force received four CyberTip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a total of 548 videos of child pornography uploaded to Rodgers’s Google accounts. Investigators then identified 728 images and 771 videos of child pornography in Rodgers’s Google account. Of those, roughly 101 files involved infants or toddlers. An additional 1,022 images and 124 videos depicted “age difficult” persons and child erotica.

On Oct. 22, 2019, federal agents executed a search warrant at Rodgers’s residence. They seized his computer, which contained 658 videos and 139 images of suspected child pornography, including prepubescent victims, sadomasochistic behaviors, and bestiality.

Rodgers also admitted to previously communicating with a female from Ohio, beginning when she was 15 years old, and he admitted to sharing images and videos with her. Rodgers repeatedly asked her to send him pornographic images and videos of herself. He even bought her a sex toy, and had it sent to her to use in videos she could create for him. Rodgers also sent her videos of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving child pornography, which was discovered on his cell phone during an investigation into threats he made to a sheriff’s department employee.

Joshua Emanuel Wood, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Wood is required to register as a sex offender due to his 2018 conviction of possessing child pornography.

The investigation began when Wood left 41 threatening voice mail messages on May 29 and 30, 2022, for the employee of the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department who was in charge of registering sex offenders. The sex offender registrar reported those threats and law enforcement officers arrested Wood on May 31, 2022.

Wood had a Google Pixel cell phone in his possession when he was arrested. Investigators found child sexual abuse material on the phone, including 107 images of child pornography, web searches for child pornography, and visits to suspected child pornography websites.

Under federal statutes, Wood is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Denver, Colorado, man has been convicted at trial for transporting fentanyl and methamphetamine through Kansas City, Mo., aboard a bus and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Ahmad Rashad Rhodes, 44, was found guilty on Thursday, Dec. 7, of one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Officers with the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN) were conducting interdiction activities at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station on March 20, 2023, when Rhodes arrived on a bus that originated in Los Angeles, California. As passengers disembarked, a police drug-sniffing dog alerted to the scent of illegal drugs in a suitcase in the undercarriage of the bus as well as a backpack in the passenger compartment of the bus. Officers determined both items belonged to Rhodes and contacted him.

After a brief struggle, Rhodes was taken into custody when he admitted to officers he had a gun in the crossbody bag he was wearing. Officers searched Rhodes and found a key chain in his coat with two metal pill holders attached; one pill holder contained 61 blue counterfeit oxycodone hydrochloride pills that contained fentanyl and the other contained 33 blue counterfeit oxycodone hydrochloride pills that contained fentanyl.

In the crossbody bag Rhodes was wearing, officers discovered 3,200 blue counterfeit oxycodone hydrochloride pills that contained fentanyl, a clear plastic baggie that contained 60 grams of methamphetamine, and a loaded Smith & Wesson .38-caliber pistol. Officers searched the rest of Rhodes’s luggage and found a digital scale, over 100 unused small, plastic baggies and marijuana.

Rhodes was taken into custody when he admitted to officers that he had a gun inside the fanny pack he was wearing. Officers searched Rhodes and found a key chain in his coat with two metal pill holders attached; one pill holder contained 61 blue counterfeit oxycodone hydrochloride pills that contained fentanyl and the other contained 33 blue counterfeit oxycodone hydrochloride pills that contained fentanyl.

Rhodes told officers he was enroute to Louisville, Kentucky, and was fleeing from Colorado due to a pending drug-trafficking case in which he was set to be sentenced.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Rhodes has eight prior felony convictions related to the use or trafficking of illegal drugs, including two convictions in Colorado for which he pled guilty and then failed to appear for sentencing, and a prior felony conviction for illegally possessing a firearm.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for less than an hour before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Under federal statutes, Rhodes is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on April 11, 2024.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. Baker and Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and for illegally possessing firearms.

Jerry Wheeler, also known as “Love,” 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Nov. 21, 2023, to 35 years in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 15, 2022, Wheeler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Wheeler admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Christian and Greene counties from Sept. 23, 2018, to Nov. 14, 2019. Wheeler was a supplier of fentanyl to a number of other fentanyl distributors in Springfield. Wheeler also admitted that he was in possession of a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, an Izmash .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic pistol in furtherance of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, Wheeler was responsible for multi-kilogram fentanyl distribution. Often, the fentanyl was sold as heroin.

Law enforcement officers stopped co-defendant Sheron Loggins, also known as “Bane,” 50, of Florissant, Mo., while he was driving on Interstate 44 toward Springfield on Sept. 8, 2019. Loggins was transporting approximately 496 grams of fentanyl (which represents over 4,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl). Wheeler admitted that he was the intended recipient of that fentanyl and that he intended to distribute the fentanyl in Springfield.

On Nov. 14, 2019, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Wheeler’s residence. Officers found the loaded Sig Sauer pistol on top of a cabinet in the kitchen. Agents found the loaded Hi-Point pistol in a nightstand drawer in one bedroom and the Izhmash rifle underneath a mattress in another bedroom. Agents also found a small amount of cocaine and fentanyl, as well as drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that Missouri was one of only nine states west of the Mississippi River with an age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths of more than 21.1 per 100,000 in 2020. The most recent statistics provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show that, in 2022, 1,577 Missourians fatally overdosed on opioids. This means that one in every 45 deaths in Missouri in 2022 can be attributed to an opioid overdose, and potent non-heroin opioids such as fentanyl have increasingly taken over as the primary killer.

Court documents also cite a widely reported analysis of CDC data by Families Against Fentanyl that fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death among adults between ages 18 and 45 in the United States.

Wheeler is the second of 14 defendants to be sentenced in this case. Marquise D. Martin, 33, of Springfield, was sentenced on June 14, 2023, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. Loggins has pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department; the Greene County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department; the Phelps County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department; the Bourbon, Missouri, Police Department; and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy.  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Akron, Ohio, man was charged in federal court today with transporting more than 27 kilograms of methamphetamine through Kansas City, Mo., aboard a bus.

Rogeric Romone Clark, 39, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Clark remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

More than 27 kilograms (60 one-pound bundles) of methamphetamine was seized by law enforcement officers at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, members of the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN) were conducting interdiction activities at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station on Tuesday, Dec. 5. As passengers disembarked from a bus that originated in Los Angeles, California, officers used a police drug-sniffing dog, which alerted to a suitcase later identified as belonging to Clark. Investigators later identified another suitcase that belonged to Clark.

A detective contacted Clark, who confirmed a suitcase belonged to him and gave officers consent to open it. As the detective opened the suitcase, Clark fled on foot through the rear parking area. Clark fell during the chase and was taken into custody.

Officers searched both of the suitcases and found 30 one-pound bundles in each suitcase that contained a total of 27.2 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Clark told investigators he was supposed to receive $10,000 to transport the illegal drugs to Akron, Ohio.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh Ragner. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Dixon, Mo., woman has been sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

Connie M. Gonzales, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Aug. 31, 2023, to 23 years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 17, 2022, Gonzales pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in a premises where a minor resided.

According to court documents, multiple criminal investigations were conducted between January 2017 and August 2021 by state agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol and law enforcement personnel in Pulaski County, which implicated Gonzales in one or more drug-trafficking schemes. Investigators learned that Gonzales obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from a supplier in Arizona by traveling to and from Arizona while concealing contraband in a spare tire, or by arranging for the methamphetamine to be mailed to her.

One confidential informant told investigators he/she received one or two pounds of methamphetamine from Gonzales every one to three weeks. The informant reported having witnessed 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine in Gonzales’s residence on several occasions. Gonzales was on state probation during this period, having pleaded guilty to the felony offense of possessing methamphetamine in 2016.

Federal agents seized two packages that had been mailed to Gonzales in September 2021. The first package was mailed from a non-existent children’s toy business in Mesa, Arizona, to a St. Roberts, Mo., address. It contained approximately 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in six separate bundles concealed inside plush children’s toys. The second package was addressed to Kathleen Kubes (Gonzales’s deceased mother) at Gonzales’s residence. It contained approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine in five separate bundles concealed inside plush children’s toys.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzalez’s residence on March 21, 2022. Gonzales was present, along with her adult daughter and her three children (ages seven to 11), who also lived at the residence. Investigators found a safe in the master bedroom that contained a large bag of crystal methamphetamine, three small baggies of crystal methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Investigators also found a cellophane-wrapped package on the bed, under the sheet, that contained a large quantity of methamphetamine. In total, officers seized approximately 848 grams of methamphetamine.

Gonzales told investigators she made multiple trips to Arizona, where she would obtain one or two pounds of methamphetamine per trip.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John D. Hatcher. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Pulaski County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the South Central Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Huntington Park, California, man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing 2.6 pounds of cocaine, which he carried hidden in a suitcase while travelling by bus through Kansas City, Mo.

Alan E. Sanchez, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to eight years and one month in federal prison without parole.

On July 18, 2023, Sanchez was found guilty at trial of one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.

A detective with the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics (MOWIN) Task Force approached Sanchez at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station as he got off the bus, which originated in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 15, 2021. Sanchez, who had a bus ticket with an ending destination in Baltimore, Maryland, was carrying a soft-sided suitcase. He claimed to have dirty clothes in the bag, but nothing illegal, and agreed to let officers search his luggage.

When the detective searched the suitcase, he found a bundle that contained approximately 1,133.98 grams (2.6 pounds) of cocaine. Sanchez also had $2,626 in cash.

Evidence was presented during the trial that Sanchez was conspiring with another drug-trafficking mule who was on the same bus, who was transporting nearly two kilograms of cocaine. Testimony during the trial indicated that Sanchez had transported illegal drugs previously and was planning to smuggle illegal drugs from Mexico to the United States. When cocaine is broken down it can sell on the street for as much as $100 per gram; Sanchez personally was transporting nearly $100,000 worth of cocaine, indicating that he had earned the trust of his co-conspirators.

According to court documents, Sanchez made false statements and perjured himself at trial in an effort to obstruct justice, which was a factor considered by the court in determining his sentence.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford and John C. Constance. It was investigated by the Kansas City Interdiction Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Blue Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Kenneth James Paulson, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 16, 2022, Paulson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Aug. 11 to Oct. 14, 2020.

Paulson is the third and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. Louis Melvin Williamson, 52, of Independence, Mo., was sentenced on May 16, 2023, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Kurt Thomas Kingsley, 41, of Independence, was sentenced on April 6, 2023, to seven years in federal prison without parole.

Williamson sold bulk quantities of methamphetamine to other dealers, including Kingsley, who in turn sold to Paulson. Williamson also sold smaller quantities to methamphetamine users. Paulson admitted that he purchased methamphetamine from Kingsley and sold bulk quantities to lower level dealers.

Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, through undercover agents and confidential informants, made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Paulson at his home and at a movie theater parking lot in Grain Valley, Mo. On Oct. 13, 2020, DEA agents stopped Paulson’s car in Blue Springs while he was on his way to another undercover controlled purchase. Agents found 145 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine in his car. Agents also searched his residence and found 226 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine in his garage. Agents also found a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver in his garage.

On Oct. 14, 2020, Kingsley arrived at Paulson’s residence for an arranged drug sale. DEA agents found a black backpack on the passenger’s seat of Kingsley’s Ford F-150 that contained 46.7 grams of pure methamphetamine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Ozark, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Jevn Todd Griffitt, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Griffitt to forfeit to the government $15,324, which represents the proceeds he obtained from the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

On Jan. 10, 2023, Griffitt pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Griffitt conspired with co-defendants Christopher Richard Ward, 45, of Kansas City, Mo., and Paris Ready, 29, of Sperry, Oklahoma, to distribute methamphetamine from May 2 to Nov. 7, 2019.

Griffitt admitted that he purchased approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine from Ward for $8,000 on Sept. 14, 2019. Griffitt also admitted that he sold firearms to Ward.

On Oct. 29, 2019, Griffitt sold a Beretta Stoeger Cougar 9mm handgun to an undercover officer, whom he met in Ozark, for $300. Detectives with the Springfield, Mo., Police Department identified Griffitt as a passenger in a Chevrolet Silverado on Oct. 31, 2019, and Greene County, Mo., sheriff’s deputies attempted to conduct a stop on Interstate 44. The Silverado fled and deputies pursued the vehicle into the Springfield city limits. The Silverado began travelling in the opposite direction of traffic and the pursuit was terminated. The Silverado was located after it was abandoned a short time later.

Throughout the pursuit, deputies saw Griffitt throwing purported methamphetamine out of the front passenger’s window. Investigators recovered approximately 238 grams of methamphetamine from the roadway along the course of the vehicle pursuit. Officers found a blue nylon bag on the front passenger floorboard of the Silverado that contained an AR-15 magazine and other ammunition, miscellaneous AR-15 parts, an AR-15 armorers kit, drug paraphernalia, and $74 in cash. Approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine was found on the front passenger floorboard and approximately 88 grams of methamphetamine was scattered throughout the truck and on the ground leading away from the front passenger’s seat.

Ward was arrested on an outstanding state warrant by Jackson County, Mo., sheriff’s deputies on Sept. 30, 2019. During the arrest, Ward attempted to flee from the deputies on foot but tripped and fell, which caused a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun to fall onto the ground. On the same day, the staff at a local hotel where Ward was staying found a black zippered case while cleaning his room. The case contained six plastic baggies with a total of 239 grams of methamphetamine. The case also contained a plastic bag with .9 grams of heroin.

Ward told investigators that he had purchased one pound (approximately 453.5 grams) of methamphetamine from his source two to three times each week for approximately one month. Ward said he sold Griffit a kilogram of methamphetamine two or three times, and that Griffitt had provided him with three firearms. Ward said he traded one-half ounce of methamphetamine to Griffitt for the Sig Sauer 9mm handgun he possessed when he was arrested. Ward also admitted to several other instances in which he sold methamphetamine.

Both Ward and Ready pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and have been sentenced. Ward was sentenced on Nov. 9, 2023, to 12 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Ward to forfeit to the government $39,960, which represents the proceeds he obtained from the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Ready was sentenced on April 18, 2023, to five years in federal prison without parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who called 911 emergency assistance for his mother was sentenced in federal court today after the police officers who responded to his home found illegal drugs, six firearms he illegally possessed, and large amounts of cash.

Michael Thomas Cummings II, also known as “Blue,” 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 18 years in federal prison without parole.

On Feb. 15, 2023, Cummings pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

Kansas City police officers arrived at Cummings’s residence shortly before midnight on June 7, 2021, after he had called 911 for his mother because she was unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel were in the process of attempting lifesaving measures when police officers arrived, but she was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at approximately 12:04 a.m. on June 8, 2021. Cummings, who lived with his mother, told officers she suffered from cognitive decline. Officers noted she appeared to be emaciated.

Officers saw a loaded Heckler & Koch .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol sitting next to $438 in cash on a table. They also saw an SKS-style 7.62 x 54mm assault rifle with a magazine leaning against the wall of a back stairwell that led to the basement. Cummings, a felon, was arrested for illegally possessing the firearms.

Officers executed a search warrant at Cummings’s residence later the same day. They found a total of 351.37 grams of methamphetamine in Cummings’s bedroom and a Pioneer Arms 7.62 x 39mm AKM-47 style pistol in a bedroom closet. On a desk in the bedroom, officers also found a baggie that contained approximately .24 grams of fentanyl/heroin, and two baggies that contained approximately 28.1 grams of crack cocaine, as well as a baggie of marijuana in a desk drawer. Officers also found $3,512 in cash in the bedroom.

Officers found a Ruger .22-caliber pistol in another bedroom that had been converted into a weight room.

In a third bedroom, officers found a Smith and Wesson AR-15 style assault rifle in the closet and a safe that contained $175,100 in cash and a Ruger revolver that had been reported as stolen.

Officers also found $180 under the couch cushion, and sodium sulfate, which is often used by drug dealers as a cutting agent to dilute drugs, on a coffee table.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Cummings has a prior felony conviction for possession of a controlled substance.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Arkansas man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Douglas County, Mo., and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Marcelino Sauseda, Jr, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Tuesday, Nov. 28, to 13 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Sauseda to forfeit to the government $24,830 in drug-trafficking proceeds that was seized by law enforcement.

On Sept. 13, 2022, Sauseda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Sauseda admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Rossi firearm and methamphetamine at the time of his arrest.

On Oct. 10, 2020, a corporal with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department was notified that Sauseda, a fugitive with Arkansas warrants for his arrest, was staying at the Twin Bridges Campground. Officers contacted Sauseda at a cabin in the campground and placed him under arrest. Officers found a black zip up bag, which contained 196 grams of methamphetamine, next to the back porch of the cabin. Officers also found a bag under the back porch with $24,820 in cash, which Sauseda admitted were the proceeds of illegal drug sales. Officers found the firearm in an air vent.

Sauseda had absconded from parole in Arkansas at the time of this federal offense, after being incarcerated for robbery, residential burglary, and theft of property related to robbing another person at gun point with an SKS rifle. Sauseda also has a prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Howell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Sparta, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.

Gabriel Eric Robinson, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 11 years and five months in federal prison without parole.

On June 5, 2023, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

On Aug. 23, 2021, Robinson was found unconscious behind the driver’s seat of a black Ford Explorer that was parked in the grass at the rear of a residence in Reeds Spring, Mo. The vehicle was not running but the keys were in the ignition. A Stone County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy found a loaded Springfield Armory 9mm pistol lying on the passenger seat next to a bag that contained methamphetamine. The deputy also found a green cloth bag in the back seat that contained several additional bags of methamphetamine and a Ziploc bag of marijuana. The deputy also found $1,674 in cash in the center console. In total, Robinson was in possession of 188.8 grams of methamphetamine, 30 pills containing buprenorphine, and .64 grams of a powder that contained tramadol, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Robinson had only been out of prison in connection with a drug trafficking offense for approximately two and a half months and was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of this federal offense. According to court documents, Robinson has three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property, and theft. In connection with these prior felony convictions, Robinson has fled from police officers on numerous occasions, once at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour while in possession of a firearm.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for sexually assaulting a child victim to produce child pornography.

Cecil L. Pulluaim, 53, was charged in an 11-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Pulluaim was previously charged in a related case by the Jackson County, Mo., Prosecutor’s Office.

Today’s indictment charges Pulluaim with 10 counts of using a minor victim to produce videos of child pornography on 10 separate occasions from April 27 to June 15, 2023. Pulluaim is also charged with one count of possessing child pornography on June 16, 2023.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the Raytown, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kansas, pediatric physician faces an additional charge after being indicted by a federal grand jury today for producing and possessing child pornography.

Brian Michael Aalbers, 49, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Aalbers on Nov. 15, 2023, and includes an additional charge.

Aalbers, a pediatric neurologist at Overland Park Regional Hospital in Overland Park, Kan., remains in federal custody without bond until his trial.

Today’s indictment retains the original charge of attempting to produce child pornography from Dec. 28, 2020, to Oct. 28, 2023, and includes an additional charge of possessing child pornography on Oct. 28, 2023.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Lenexa, Kan., Police Department, the Merriam, Kan., Police Department, and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography over the internet.

Daniel J. Street, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 16 years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court ordered Street to pay $15,000 in restitution to three victims.

The court also sentenced Street to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Street will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On April 17, 2023, Street pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the internet. Street admitted that he possessed a MEGA account, a cloud storage and file-hosting service, that was used to distribute thousands of videos of child pornography.

Street sent links to his MEGA account to online covert employees of the FBI on three occasions in 2022. In February 2022, he sent a MEGA link to an online covert employee in the Oklahoma City FBI division, with whom he was communicating on a social media platform, to more than 2,000 videos and images of child pornography. In July 2022, Street communicated with an online covert employee in the Jacksonville FBI division using the Kik application and sent at least two videos of child pornography via Kik as well as a MEGA link to hundreds of videos of child pornography. In July 2022, Street engaged in a group chat message conversation, which included an online covert employee of the San Francisco FBI division using the Kik application. Street posted several videos of child pornography during the group chat.

On Aug. 26, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Street’s residence. Officers seized Street’s cell phone, which contained hundreds of videos of child pornography. Following his arrest, Street told investigators he had sexually abused a minor female on several occasions.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Carterville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

Cody Goucher, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Goucher was sentenced as a career offender due to his prior felony convictions.

On May 18, 2023, Goucher pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

On Oct. 7, 2022, a Carl Junction, Mo., police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the gray Nissan Titan pickup truck Goucher was driving. Goucher initially stopped, but then began slowly driving away. As the officer followed the vehicle and activated his siren, Goucher increased his speed. Eventually the truck left the roadway and crashed into a ditch. Goucher was found lying in the ditch and was arrested.

The officer found a green backpack beside the vehicle that contained approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia. According to court documents, Goucher was also in possession of more than 100 rounds of ammunition for two separate types of firearms.

According to court documents, Goucher’s criminal history includes six prior felony convictions and numerous misdemeanor or other convictions, including felony property crimes, felony drug crimes, and felony and misdemeanor acts of assault and violence. In one of his three convictions for domestic assault, Goucher threatened his girlfriend with a firearm, put the firearm to her chin and pulled the trigger, though a bullet was not fired. He also threatened a law enforcement officer involved in the investigation of this federal case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, and the Carl Junction, Mo., Police Department.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today on charges related to distributing child pornography.

Charles M. Witter, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Witter to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On July 26, 2023, Witter pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography over the internet on Oct. 5, 2020, one count of transporting child pornography over the internet from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021, and one count of possessing child pornography from Nov. 12, 2020, to March 16, 2021, all after having been convicted of an offense relating to aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor. Witter, a registered sex offender, has prior felony convictions for statutory rape and statutory sodomy involving his sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child victim.

On Feb. 25, 2020, Witter was released from custody after serving six years in state prison for those prior convictions. Less than eight months later, he used a social media application to send an image of child pornography to another person.

Witter admitted that he sent an image of child pornography through a social media application to another person on Oct. 5, 2020. The image was flagged and a CyberTip report sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which forwarded it to the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Less than four months later, on Jan. 20, 2021, another online service provider submitted a CyberTip report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning a number of emails sent by Witter, which included 113 images of child pornography and child erotica from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021.

Investigators searched Witter’s cell phone and found 53 images of child pornography, three videos of child pornography, and 10 GIF files of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen A. Brackett and Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., couple has indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the sexual exploitation of three child victims.

Houston Wade Young, 36, and Jessica Ann Young, 33, were charged in an eight-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment returned against Houston Young on July 25, 2023, and adds Jessica Young (who was arrested today) as a defendant with additional charges.

The federal indictment charges Houston Young with one count of using a minor (identified in court documents as Jane Doe) to produce child pornography, two counts of using the internet and a cell phone to attempt to induce Jane Doe and another minor (identified in court documents as John Doe 1) to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of receiving and distributing child pornography, and one count of distributing child pornography.

The indictment charges Jessica Young with two counts of using a minor, John Doe 1, and another child victim identified in court documents as John Doe 2 to produce child pornography, and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Investigations.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., business owner has been indicted by a federal grand jury for spending more than $900,000 in federal COVID-19 business relief funds on personal real estate purchases and a Chevrolet Camaro.

Sammy Adam Joseph, 47, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Nov. 8. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Joseph’s arrest and initial court appearance.

Joseph remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. According to the government’s motion for detention, Joseph is a flight risk because he owns a condominium in Lebanon and has traveled to Lebanon three times in 2023. Joseph also poses a risk to the community because he has been identified in social media photos with assault weapons.

Joseph is the owner of Adams & Joseph, Inc., which operates two gas stations in the Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area. According to the indictment, his business received nearly $1.9 million under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The purpose of the CARES Act was to provide emergency financial assistance due to the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans to eligible small businesses that experienced substantial financial disruption due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the indictment, Adams & Joseph received a total of $1,869,900 in EIDL disbursements between June 2020 and November 2021.

The indictment alleges that Joseph fraudulently used at least $900,000 of the EIDL proceeds for his own personal benefit by using EIDL money to purchase a residence in Lee’s Summit, parcels of land in Kansas City, Mo., and Lee’s Summit, a building in Grandview, Mo., and a blue 2019 Chevrolet Camaro.

Joseph is charged with six counts of theft of government property, which are related to EIDL proceeds he allegedly spent on unauthorized purchases. Joseph is charged with two counts of money laundering, which are related to monetary transactions of criminally derived property.

The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, which would require Joseph to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of at least $948,120 and three parcels of real estate in Kansas City, Mo., Lee’s Summit, and Grandview.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Task Force

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Task Force was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The founder of a so-called Christian health care sharing ministry in St. Joseph, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to leading an $8 million wire fraud conspiracy that cheated hundreds of members, and to making false statements on a personal tax return.

Craig Anthony Reynolds, 61, of St. Joseph, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making false statements on a tax return.

Reynolds incorporated and ran Medical Cost Sharing, a tax-exempt organization, as its president and chief executive officer from 2014 through December 2022.

By pleading guilty today, Reynolds admitted that he and his co-conspirators used false and fraudulent promises to market Medical Cost Sharing as a “Health Care Sharing Ministry” to defraud hundreds of “ministry members.” Reynolds and his co-conspirators collected more than $8 million in member “contributions,” yet paid only 3.1 percent in health care claims so that they could personally profit and take most of the members’ contributions for themselves.

The co-conspirators included an executive vice president and chairman of Medical Cost Sharing, who ran the organization with Reynolds. This co-conspirator, identified in court documents as “CC1,” has not been charged.

Reynolds marketed Medical Cost Sharing as a “Christian Health Care Sharing Ministry” through insurance brokers, radio stations, social media, and its website. Medical Cost Sharing sales materials promoted its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation, advertising that it was different from for profit health insurance. The Medical Cost Sharing website claimed, “while we are not an insurance company, many think of us as a Christian Health Insurance, or Christian Medical Insurance because, like conventional insurance plans, we help you pay your healthcare costs. We help you protect your family. But unlike these corporate, profit based plans, we are a healthcare sharing ministry … your healthcare costs are shared with other Christians enrolled in our medical sharing plans.”

Medical Cost Sharing promised its member that if they paid monthly “contributions,” Medical Cost Sharing would pay claims after the members’ “personal responsibility” (deductible) was met.

In reality, Reynolds admitted today, Medical Cost Sharing rarely paid members’ health care claims. Sometimes Medical Cost Sharing would pay a part of a claim if the member filed a complaint with their state attorney general and/or hired an attorney to represent them against Medical Cost Sharing.

Non-profit organizations file IRS Forms 990, which are accessible to the public. Medical Cost Sharing filed false Forms 990 for tax years 2016 through 2019 that understated Reynolds’s and CC1’s compensation. Medical Cost Sharing filed no tax returns for tax years 2020 – 2022.

According to today’s plea agreement, Medical Cost Sharing collected more than $8,035,544 in member contributions from 2015 through 2022. During that time, Medical Cost Sharing paid no more than $245,982 in claims, which constitutes only 3.1 percent of the member contributions collected. The $245,982 includes payments to members who filed complaints with their state attorney general and/or hired legal counsel to represent them against Medical Cost Sharing.

Medical Cost Sharing paid no claims at all from Feb. 22, 2021, through December 2022, although it collected a total of nearly $1.2 million in dues in 2021 and 2022.

Reynolds admitted that he and CC1 pocketed at least $5,168,268 from the member contributions from December 2015 through December 2022. Reynolds and CC1 took at least 64 percent of total member contributions for their personal profit.

On Dec. 13, 2022, federal agents served search warrants on the Medical Cost Sharing business location and Reynolds’s residence and seized property generated from Medical Cost Sharing proceeds. Medical Cost Sharing continued to try to collect membership dues after the search and seizure warrants. On Dec. 27, 2022, the court entered a temporary restraining order that prohibited Medical Cost Sharing, Reynolds, and CC1 from continuing to perpetrate a fraudulent scheme and from processing Medical Cost Sharing member payments, among other actions.

In addition to the wire fraud conspiracy, Reynolds also pleaded guilty to making false statements on a personal tax return. Reynolds admitted that he filed a return that claimed he had no taxable income in 2019. Reynolds actually received at least $354,292 in taxable income in 2019.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Reynolds must forfeit his gain from Medical Cost Sharing as well as any property obtained from his criminal activity, including two residences in St. Joseph, the contents of his bank account, and a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle. He must also pay $167,799 in restitution to the government.

Under federal statutes, Reynolds is subject to a sentence of up to 23 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen D. Mahoney, Patrick Daly, and John Constance. It was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

FBI Website for Victims of Medical Cost Sharing Fraud

Those who believe they are victims of this fraud and wish to receive restitution for any losses suffered as a result may provide their information through the MCS Victim Information Page that has been established by the FBI.

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/mcs-victim-information-page

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Bakersfield, California, man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a significant drug trafficking organization operating in Missouri and Oklahoma that distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine.

William D. Johnson, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 22 years in federal prison without parole.

On Feb. 22, 2022, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from May 20, 2019, to Jan. 28, 2021, in Newton, Laclede, Lawrence, and Greene Counties.

According to court documents, Johnson utilized a storage unit that was found to contain 231 pounds of methamphetamine, two rifles, and nearly $500,000 in cash. He also maintained two separate residences where law enforcement officers executed search warrants and seized a quarter of a pound of methamphetamine, three handguns, and more than $40,000 in cash.

Johnson was stopped by Joplin, Mo., police officers on June 12, 2019, while he was in possession of 90.63 grams of methamphetamine and $16,327 in cash.

Lebanon, Mo., police officers searched Johnson’s black 2013 GMC 2500 Duramax after he had left the vehicle on May 1, 2020, and found two items that contained drug residue and a Diamond Back 9mm pistol. While searching for Johnson, officers found a backpack he had been seen carrying, which contained approximately 180 grams of methamphetamine, a stolen Ruger .380-caliber firearm, and $33,234 in cash.

When Johnson was arrested on Jan. 28, 2021, he was in possession of a smoking device with methamphetamine residue, two cell phones, and $11,375 in cash.

Johnson is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. Douglas S. Ward, 35, of Lebanon, Mo., was sentenced on Oct. 17, 2022, to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Rita M Glasgow, 33, of Joplin, Mo., was sentenced on June 8, 2023, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Joshua T. Davenport, 42, of Miami, Oklahoma, was sentenced on June 12, 2023, to five years and nine months in federal prison without parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Apache County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Department, the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Crane, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for sexually exploiting a child.

Jeffrey Prowant, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Prowant to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Prowant will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

Prowant was a Kansas City, Mo., police officer from 2000 to 2002 and a Monroe County, Michigan, sheriff’s deputy from 2002 to 2005.

On Nov. 16, 2022, Prowant pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Prowant admitted that he engaged in online conversations via the Kik application with an undercover FBI employee. During those online conversations, Prowant shared pornographic images of a 14-year-old victim with whom he claimed to be sexually active. Prowant offered to meet the undercover FBI employee in person to engage in illegal sexual activity.

On Sept. 29, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Prowant’s residence. Prowant delayed answering the front door for nine minutes, during which time he deleted the Kik application and a folder containing suspicious images.

The 14-year-old child victim told investigators that Prowant had sexually assaulted her and confirmed that he took pornographic photos of her.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Braymer, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute substantial quantities of methamphetamine.

Jason M. Potter, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Wednesday, Nov. 8, to 30 years in federal prison without parole.

Potter was found guilty at trial on Feb. 16, 2023, of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Potter and co-defendant Daniel Dryden, 52, of Clinton, Mo., participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from May 11 to July 15, 2020. Dryden was sentenced on June 29, 2023, to three years in federal prison without parole.

Lee’s Summit, Mo., police officers saw Potter’s black 2009 Nissan Maxima parked in the parking lot of America’s Best Value Inn on July 15, 2020. When Potter and Dryden came out of the hotel, Potter placed a black computer case and a blue cloth shopping bag in the rear passenger seat of the Maxima. Potter went back into the hotel while Dryden drove the Maxima to the front of the business, near the lobby doors. Potter came out of the hotel and got into the front passenger seat of the Maxima. Dryden drove out of the parking lot onto Blue Parkway.

Officers stopped the Maxima and arrested Potter, who had an outstanding parole warrant. Potter was in possession of 4.8 grams of methamphetamine and $3,610 in cash at the time of his arrest.

Officers searched the Maxima and found the computer bag, which contained several baggies with a total of 648.6 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a money bag with more than $3,000 in cash.

According to court documents, Potter stayed at America’s Best Value Inn in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He was a friend of the motel’s manager, stayed in different rooms in the motel, and used it as his “main hub” for methamphetamine distribution.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen A. Brackett and Stephanie C. Bradshaw. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Kansas City, Mo., men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy that used a GPS tracking device to surveil their victim, who was shot to death in a grocery store parking lot.

Lawrence Courtney Lawhorn, 35, and Michael Smith, also known as “Black Mike,” 37, were charged in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The superseding indictment replaces the original indictment and adds Lawhorn as a defendant. Co-defendant Dontay Campbell, 34, formerly of Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty and therefore is not charged in this superseding indictment.

The federal indictment alleges that Lawhorn, Smith and Campbell participated in the cyberstalking conspiracy, which resulted in the murder of Dontayus Wiles, from Feb. 22 to March 20, 2019. The indictment alleges that Lawhorn shot a firearm multiple times at Wiles and killed him.

According to the indictment, conspirators placed a GPS tracking device on Wiles’s red Chevrolet Tahoe. On March 16, 2019, Lawhorn and Campbell surveilled Wiles as he drove to Happy Foods grocery store, located at 4019 E. 31st Street, Kansas City, Mo. When Wiles left the grocery store and walked back to the Tahoe, Lawhorn and Campbell pulled up next to the Tahoe in a Chrysler Sebring. Lawhorn allegedly exited the Sebring and shot at Wiles several times with a Sturm, Ruger & Co. .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun. During the shooting spree, Campbell attempted unsuccessfully to remove the GPS tracker from Wiles’s vehicle.

Lawhorn and Campbell then ran back to the Sebring, briefly drove around the parking lot, and parked again near Wiles’s Tahoe. Lawhorn allegedly again fired multiple shots into Wiles’s Tahoe while Campbell again tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the GPS tracker. Lawhorn and Campbell then sped out of the parking lot in the Sebring.

According to the indictment, Lawhorn and Smith then dumped the Sebring. Smith and Campbell left the Kansas City metropolitan area and traveled to Phoenix, Arizona.

In addition to the conspiracy, Lawhorn and Smith are charged with one count of cyberstalking resulting in death.

Lawhorn is also charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Lawhorn has prior felony convictions for assault, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lawhorn has also pleaded guilty to his role in an insurance fraud scheme and awaits sentencing.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford and Nicholas Heberle. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Neosho, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the torture and death of the victim, and in a separate and unrelated case for illegally possessing stolen firearms.

Lawrence William Vaughan, also known as “Scary Larry,” 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to 25 years in federal prison without parole.

Kidnapping, Torture, and Murder

On April 27, 2023, Vaughan pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to commit kidnapping in July 2020.

Five co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing in this case. Freddie Lewis Tilton, also known as “Ol’ Boy,” 50, and Carla Jo Ward, 49, both of Joplin; James B. Gibson, 41, of Neosho; Amy Kay Thomas, 40, of Webb City, Mo.; and Russell Eugene Hurtt, also known as “Uncle,” 51, of Greenwood, Mo., have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Vaughan admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to kidnap the victim, identified as “M.H.,” in July 2020. Tilton offered Ward and Vaughan $5,000 each to locate and secure M.H. for him. Ward picked up M.H., whom she knew was being sought by Tilton, and took him to Vaughan’s residence. Vaughan texted Tilton, stating “Call me quickly handing (M.H.) to you.” Vaughan and Tilton continued communicating throughout the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “He’s got 2 guns.” A few hours later, Vaughan sent a text message to Tilton that read, “OK we’ve got both his guns put up,” and “Guns are secure I’m waiting for you.”

Tilton, Thomas, and Gibson arrived at Vaughan’s residence in the early morning hours of July 15, 2020. They bound M.H.’s hands with handcuffs, and duct tape was placed around his mouth and other parts of his body. Gibson, Thomas, and others assaulted M.H. for a period of time. M.H. was cut, beaten, shot at, and burned with a blowtorch. Tilton fatally shot M.H. in the head. Vaughan and others cleaned up the blood and damage created during the assault and shooting of M.H. They wrapped M.H.’s body in plastic wrap and transported it to Hurtt’s property.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hurtt’s property on July 28, 2020, based on information that a deceased body was located on the acreage. When officers attempted to contact the occupants of the residence, Tilton fired multiple shots from inside the residence at the officers. Tilton was apprehended.

Officers found M.H.’s body on the property. Officers searched the residence and found a Rigarmi .25-caliber pistol, an Ithaca .22-caliber rifle, a Remington .22-caliber rifle without a serial number, a Harrington and Richardson 12-gauge shotgun, a Ruger 9mm handgun, and a Taurus 9mm handgun without a serial number.

Illegally Possessing Firearms

On Feb. 24, 2021, Vaughan pleaded guilty to one count of being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a stolen firearm.

Vaughan admitted that he was in possession of a DB9 9mm handgun, which was found in the glove box of his truck and had been reported stolen, on Jan. 4, 2019.

Vaughan also admitted that he was in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun, which had been reported stolen, on March 12, 2019. The handgun was lying on the couch inside a travel trailer, which had been stolen two days earlier and was found on Vaughan’s property. Vaughan was inside the trailer, where officers also found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. They were investigated by the FBI, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, and the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A former bank branch manager in Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting Kansas City Chiefs playoffs tickets and a new Chevrolet Tahoe in exchange for facilitating a $12.4 million Covid fraud scheme by a Jefferson City, Mo., business owner, as well as a separate fraud scheme to receive unemployment benefits.

Anthony Omar Brockman, 48, who currently resides in Bennington, Nebraska, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to one count of wire fraud, one count of receiving gifts for procuring loans, and one count of money laundering.

Brockman was the branch manager of the Truman Hospital location of US Bank in Kansas City, Mo., until the COVID-19 pandemic caused the bank branch to close. Brockman was reassigned to US Bank’s Paycheck Protection Program project from April 12 through July 19, 2020. Brockman was then returned to his role as on-site manager at the Truman Hospital bank branch until May 22, 2021.

On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.

By pleading guilty, Brockman admitted that he assisted and facilitated fraudulent PPP loan applications for Tod Ray Keilholz, the owner of TRK Construction, LLC, TRK Valpo, LLC, TL Builders, LLC, and Project Design, LLC, in Jefferson City. Keilholz has been charged in a separate indictment for his role in a more than $27.1 million bank fraud scheme that included more than $12.4 million in PPP loans for his businesses.

According to that separate indictment, Keilholz received a total of $12,430,932 in PPP loans for his four businesses. In each of those loan applications, the indictment says, Keilholz failed to disclose his ownership in the other three businesses, and made materially false and fraudulent claims in the loan applications and supporting documentation. Keilholz allegedly inflated the income of those businesses and claimed payrolls for employees who did not exist or no longer worked for him.

Brockman admitted that he received gifts in exchange for assisting Keilholz in procuring those loans. On Nov. 4, 2020, Keilholz used PPP loan proceeds to pay for a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe that he gave to Brockman. Brockman admitted that the gift was intended to influence and reward him in connection with Keilholz’s applications for PPP loans and for the forgiveness of PPP loans.

Brockman also admitted that he received tickets from Keilholz to the Jan. 24, 2021, AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. In pleading guilty to money laundering, Brockman admitted that he signed an affidavit gifting the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe to Rich Girl, Rich Boy Prep, Inc., a charity of which his wife was the Chief Executive Officer. On May 25, 2021, Brockman transferred the title to the Tahoe to Rich Girl, Rich Boy Prep but continued to drive the Tahoe until he sold it in July 2022.

In pleading guilty to wire fraud, Brockman admitted that he fraudulently received $11,040 in unemployment benefits from March 27, 2020, to Nov. 4, 2021, while he was employed by US Bank. Brockman falsely claimed he was unemployed when he applied for unemployment benefits via the internet, then repeated that false claim in 11 subsequent weekly online applications submitted to the state.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Brockman must pay the government a $84,582 money judgment, which represents the proceeds he obtained from the offenses.

Under federal statutes, Brockman is subject to a sentence of up to 70 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-Office of Inspector General, the Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Task Force

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Task Force was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Three Columbia, Mo., residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a bank fraud conspiracy that used identity documents stolen from the mail to open fraudulent bank accounts.

Chandelle Eugene Marteen, 39, Jason Lee Patillo, 49, and Candace Anne Cook, 41, were charged in a 22-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The indictment was unsealed and made public following the arrests of all three defendants.

The federal indictment alleges that Marteen, Patillo and Cook participated in a bank fraud conspiracy from July 2021 to March 2023. Marteen and Cook allegedly stole mail from collection boxes and residences, from which they obtained personal and business checks. They forged signatures and altered the checks.

Marteen obtained personal identification documents belonging to others, the indictment says, and used them to cash or deposit stolen and fraudulent checks. He opened bank accounts using stolen identity documents, deposited stolen and fraudulent checks into the accounts, and withdrew money from the accounts. Patillo allegedly opened a bank account at Marteen’s instruction and gave him the debit card and account information, which enabled him to deposit stolen, fraudulent checks and withdraw money from the account using cash withdrawals at ATMs and electronic transfers.

In addition to the conspiracy, Marteen is charged with nine counts of bank fraud, two counts of mail theft, two counts of possessing stolen mail, and seven counts of aggravated identity theft.

Cook is also charged with one count of possessing stolen mail.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been convicted in a federal bench trial of receiving and distributing child pornography.

Alvan Allen, 44, was found guilty of one count of receiving and distributing child pornography following a bench trial before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The court issued the findings of fact and adjudication order on Monday, Nov. 6.

Springfield police officers executed a search warrant at Allen’s residence on Aug. 13, 2020, and seized his cell phone and laptop computer. A forensic examination discovered 1,512 images and videos of child pornography on Allen’s computer.

Allen is required to register as a sex offender due to his prior conviction of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He also has a prior conviction for failure to register as a sex offender.

Under federal statutes, Allen is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Bay Springs, Mississippi, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to luring a 16-year-old victim in Columbia, Mo., to meet him at a hotel for illicit sexual activity.

Zachary Wes Buckley, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

By pleading guilty today, Buckley admitted that he traveled to Columbia and rented a room at a local hotel, where he had sex with the child victim.

Buckley and the child victim began communicating in an online chat room in January 2023 then moved their conversations to GoogleChat. The chats, which included sexually explicit conversations, photos and videocams, led to plans to meet in person. Buckley traveled to Columbia on Jan. 30, 2023, and met the child victim at a local park. He then drove to a Columbia hotel, where they had sex.

Under federal statutes, Buckley is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Jasper County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

A Missouri man was sentenced today to life in prison for running four websites dedicated to sharing images and videos of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents and evidence at trial, Clint Robert Schram, 55, of Kansas City, hosted, managed, and maintained four different websites from his home. Each of these websites operated over the dark web, and each was devoted to advertising, distributing, and exchanging images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. One of the websites allowed members to post images of children as young as 2 years old, and another had no restrictions on the types of child sexual abuse images that could be shared. Schram advertised and distributed child sexual abuse images over these websites, and he recruited, managed, and directed different tiers of “staff” members who helped run the websites. 

On May 10, a federal jury convicted Schram of one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and four counts each of advertisement of child pornography and conspiracy to advertise child pornography.

The following defendants have also been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in connection with Schram’s websites:

Defendant

Residence

Case Status

Ryan Neal Montgomery

Damascus, Oregon

Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography; pending sentencing.

Joshua Howland

Burlington, Vermont

Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography; pending sentencing.

John Jason Vails

Cleveland, Oklahoma

Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography; sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison. 

David Shawn Sobieck

Sequim, Washington

Passed away before trial; charges dismissed.

Thomas Davis Moore Jr.

Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee

Passed away before trial; charges dismissed.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore for the Western District of Missouri, Assistant Director Luis M. Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Stephen Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and Kansas City Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by FBI field offices and resident agencies in Portland, Oregon; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Poulsbo, Washington; Homeland Security Investigations’ offices in Burlington, Vermont, and Boston; and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section’s (CEOS) High Technology Investigative Unit.

CEOS Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alison D. Dunning and David Luna for the Western District of Missouri are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Oregon, District of Vermont, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Washington, and Eastern District of Tennessee.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A former corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center and his wife pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to video recording their sexual assault of a child victim.

Paul Emerson Schofield, 35, and his wife, Sara Ellen Schofield, 30, both of Jefferson City, each pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of producing child pornography. The Schofields have been in federal custody without bond since their arrest on July 13, 2022.

By pleading guilty today, Paul and Sara Schofield each admitted they participated in a conspiracy to produce child pornography over a nearly three-year period from July 29, 2019, to June 7, 2022. A child victim under the age of 12 was used to produce child pornography.

The investigation began when law enforcement received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 25, 2022. Kik, a free online social media platform, reported that a user later identified as Paul Schofield had uploaded multiple videos of child sexual exploitation material.

Paul Schofield was active in the child pornography trading community. Multiple Kik chats were located in which he was distributing and receiving child pornography and discussing child molestation.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Schofields’ residence on June 7, 2022. A forensic examiner conducted a preview of Paul Schofield’s cell phone and located several videos of child pornography, including infants engaged in sexual contact with adults. Examiners later found videos on the phone of both Paul and Sara Schofield sexually assaulting an unconscious 4-year-old victim.

On June 9, 2022, law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at the Schofields’ residence. Officers seized Sara Schofield’s cell phone, which contained another sexually explicit video of the same 4-year-old victim in which the voices of Paul and Sara Schofield can be heard.

At the time of the offense, Paul Schofield was employed as a corrections officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Jefferson City.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreements, the government and the defendants agree to recommend a sentencing range between 30 years and 40 years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to using a GPS tracking device to surveil another man who was shot to death in a grocery store parking lot.

Dontay Campbell, 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to one count of cyberstalking resulting in death.

By pleading guilty today, Campbell admitted that he aided and abetted his co-conspirators in the use of a GPS tracking device to surveil Dontayus Wiles, and that he did so with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate Wiles. Campbell also admitted that their conduct resulted in the shooting death of Wiles.

Conspirators placed a GPS tracking device on Wiles’s red Chevrolet Tahoe. On March 16, 2019, Campbell and two co-conspirators surveilled Wiles as he and his wife drove to Happy Foods grocery store, located at 4019 E. 31st Street, Kansas City, Mo. When Wiles and his wife left the grocery store and walked back to the Tahoe, through the parking lot crowded with people, including children, Campbell and a co-conspirator pulled up next to the Tahoe in a Chrysler Sebring. Campbell’s co-conspirator exited the Sebring and shot at Wiles several times with a Ruger .40-caliber handgun that belonged to Campbell. During the shooting spree, Campbell attempted unsuccessfully to remove the GPS tracker from Wiles’s vehicle.

Campbell and the co-conspirator then ran back to the Sebring, briefly drove around the parking lot, and parked again near Wiles’s Tahoe. Campbell’s co-conspirator again fired multiple shots into Wiles’s Tahoe while Campbell again tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the GPS tracker. Campbell and his co-conspirator then sped out of the parking lot in the Sebring.

Wiles died from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators recovered 17 expended .40-caliber shell casings near Wiles’s vehicle, all of which were determined to be fired by the same weapon. Investigators also recovered the GPS tracker underneath the vehicle and determined that the tracker had been purchased and activated in February 2019.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the maximum sentence cannot exceed 30 years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford, Nicholas Heberle, and Matthew Wolesky. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing firearms.

Franklin T. Hicks Jr., also known as “Frankie,” 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On May 31, 2022, Hicks pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin in the St. Joseph area from Sept. 1, 2019, to March 26, 2021, and to two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

According to court documents, Hicks is directly responsible for distributing at least 115.5 grams of heroin, which is over 1,150 potentially lethal, 0.1-gram “doses” of the drug, and was involved in a conspiracy that moved kilograms of heroin.

Hicks was arrested outside of a hotel in St. Joseph on Jan. 22, 2021. He was in possession of 35.8 grams of heroin and $2,687 in cash. Officers also found a loaded Rock Island Armory .380-caliber handgun under the driver’s seat of his car and a Ruger 9mm handgun in the glovebox.

Hicks is the third and final defendant to be sentenced in this case.

Co-defendant Roderick A. Hughes, 48, was sentenced on Oct. 10, 2023, to 17 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. According to court documents, Hughes is responsible for distributing at least 461.9 grams of heroin, which is over 4,600 potentially lethal, 0.1-gram “doses” of the drug.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hughes’s apartment on Feb. 23, 2021. Officers found a silver revolver on the kitchen table. They also found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun on a nightstand in the bedroom, a Stoeger 9mm handgun and a Jennings Bryco 9mm handgun on a shelf in the bedroom, and a black safe under the bed that contained 23.4 grams of heroin and $4,703 in cash. Officers also searched the garage and found three plastic bags with a total of 96.3 grams of heroin hidden in the rafters.

Co-defendant Harvey E. Johnson, 50, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on Oct. 26, 2023, to 12 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the heroin-trafficking conspiracy. Johnson was in possession of approximately 51 grams of heroin when he was arrested on March 16, 2021, after fleeing from law enforcement officers in a high-speed car chase. According to court documents, Johnson is responsible for distributing at least 2.835 kilograms of heroin, which is over 28,000 potentially lethal, 0.1-gram “doses” of the drug.

Johnson was on state parole following his conviction on drug charges during his involvement in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after causing a disturbance by firing the gun on a public street in the Swope Parkway neighborhood.

Michael S. Simmons, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 11 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

On April 18, 2023, Simmons pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. This is his third federal felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Simmons was arrested on Sept. 18, 2022, when Kansas City, Mo., police officers received multiple 911 calls reporting that Simmons was standing in the street near the intersections of 55th Street, Swope Parkway and Cleveland Avenue, acting emotionally disturbed, removing his clothing, and pointing a gun at passing vehicles. Officers saw Simmons fire four to five gunshots in the direction of the ground and a nearby dog, prompting them to re-route traffic and create a perimeter of the scene.

Simmons initially refused to comply with the officers’ commands to surrender, instead rolling in circles in the grass. He appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance or alcohol and had difficulty walking and maintaining balance. Following his eventual arrest, officers located a Glock 22 .40-caliber pistol and six spent shell casings in the area where he had lain. Simmons later told officers he was under the influence of PCP.

Simmons was on supervised release at the time of his arrest, after being convicted in 2019 of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Today’s sentence includes 14 months in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release and 10 years in prison on the felon in possession charge, which must be served consecutively.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Constance. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Ruben Chigo Paz, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, Oct. 30, to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On July 11, 2022, Paz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Paz admitted that he is responsible for the distribution of more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy. Paz admitted that he sold a total of 1,314.49 grams of methamphetamine to a law enforcement confidential source from July 13 to Dec. 4, 2018. Paz was arrested at a residence in Kansas City, Mo., in which law enforcement officers found 37 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of heroin, and a Zenith .45-caliber pistol with a magazine.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to traffic firearms, including machine guns, and to drug trafficking.

Cody Bonhomme, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

By pleading guilty today, Bonhomme admitted that he illegally sold nine firearms, including six that had been converted to machine guns, 20 machine gun conversion devices, and cocaine to a confidential informant and an undercover federal agent on several occasions.

Bonhomme admitted that he participated in the conspiracy to traffic firearms from March 1 to May 31, 2023. Those firearms included four Anderson AM-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic pistols converted to machine guns, a Glock .40-caliber pistol converted to a machine gun, a DPMS multi-caliber converted to a machine gun, an Anderson AM-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Polymer80 9mm pistol, and a Polymer80 pistol with no serial number.

On May 31, 2023, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Bonhomme’s residence and elsewhere. Officers arrested Bonhomme and others and seized more than 100 firearms (many of which had been converted to machine guns), machine gun conversion devices, high-capacity magazines, 4.5 kilograms of purported marijuana, and other contraband. Bonhomme was in possession of multiple machine guns and approximately 673 grams of suspected cocaine.

Under federal statutes, Bonhomme is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole up to a sentence of 65 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Lawrence, Kansas, man has been sentenced in federal court for soliciting pornographic images from two Boone County, Mo., child victims.

Kyle G. Gibler, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, Oct. 27, to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Gibler to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration. Gibler will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On Aug. 25, 2022, Gibler pleaded guilty to attempting to produce child pornography. Gibler admitted that he received pornographic photos of an 11-year-old victim and a 2-year-old victim. Gibler solicited the photos while communicating with the 11-year-old victim on a dating website. The victim told investigators she lied about her age in order to get on the site, but told Gibler she was 11 years old. According to court documents, Gibler used a fake name and persona online, portraying himself as an 18-year-old male in Florida.

According to court documents, evidence from this case shows Gibler has been engaged in online activity involving the sexual exploitation of minors since at least January 2015 through April 2017. FBI agents identified six female victims under the age of 18 who produced child pornography at Gibler’s direction. Gibler distributed images of at least three of these child victims. Officers also located thousands of files depicting child pornography on Gibler’s electronic devices.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Southaven, Mississippi, man who wore a t-shirt with a Superman logo during a Springfield, Mo., bank robbery has been charged in federal court.

Scott A. Tyner, 50, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Oct. 6, 2023. That complaint was unsealed and made public today following Tyner’s arrest in Alabama. Tyner remains in federal custody and will have an initial court appearance on Monday, Oct. 30.

The federal criminal complaint alleges that Tyner robbed Legacy Bank and Trust in Springfield on Sept. 29, 2023.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Tyner was wearing a blue t-shirt with the Superman logo on the front and blue athletic shorts when he entered the bank on Sept. 29, 2023. Tyner slid a note on a teller counter that read, “This is a robbery.” The teller gave Tyner $5,560, the affidavit says, and he left the bank.

Investigators determined that Tyner was driving a silver, four-door Chevrolet Silverado. The vehicle was captured by a license plate reader in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Oct. 1, 2023.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm after he led law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit on his motorcycle across state lines from Kansas to Newton County, Mo.

Douglas Eugene Alexius, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Thursday, Oct. 26, to six years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On April 13, 2023, Alexius pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Alexius was arrested on Oct. 9, 2022, after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase. Alexius was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle on U.S. Highway 166 in Cherokee County, Kan., when a sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop him for failing to stop at a stop sign. Alexius accelerated his motorcycle and led law enforcement officers in pursuit into Newton County. Officers observed the motorcycle swerving into the oncoming lane of travel on multiple occasions. Alexius lost control of his motorcycle and crashed at the intersection of Greenwood Drive and Birch Drive.

Alexius was taken into custody after being tased three times because he refused to follow an officer’s order to lie on the ground and kept reaching into his jacket pocket. Officers searched Alexius and found a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol in his jacket pocket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Alexius has four prior felony convictions for resisting arrest and two prior felony convictions for possessing a controlled substance, as well as prior felony convictions for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in relation to a drug offense, receiving stolen property, and unlawful use of a firearm.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing the stolen firearm that he threw out of his car during a police chase.

Cecil Jason Robinson, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Robinson was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Jan. 13, 2022, Robinson was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robinson was in possession of a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine when he was arrested on Jan. 26, 2021, following a high-speed police chase on Interstate 70.

ATF task force officers attempted a traffic stop of Robinson, who was driving a Chevrolet Silverado with a defective brake light on I-70 west between the St. Charles Road exit and the Highway 63 connector on Jan. 26, 2021. When the officers activated their emergency lights, Robinson’s vehicle exited I-70 onto the Highway 63 connector, where it immediately conducted an illegal U-turn, forcing oncoming traffic to stop. The vehicle entered the I-70 west entrance ramp, accelerating its speed, and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

Officers saw Robinson open the driver’s side door slightly and throw out the Sig Sauer handgun into the rocky area between the entrance ramp and I-70. Officers recovered the firearm, which had been reported stolen in Kansas City, Kan. Officers also saw Robinson throw out a baggie of marijuana near the 127.8 mile marker of I-70 west. The pursuit ended in the Columbia Mall parking lot and Robinson was taken into custody.

Under federal law, it is illegal for  anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Robinson has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, and a prior felony conviction for drug trafficking.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than two kilograms of heroin.

Harvey E. Johnson, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Johnson to forfeit to the government $43,200, which represents the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.

On Aug. 4, 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in the St. Joseph area from Sept. 1, 2019, to March 26, 2021.

Johnson was in possession of approximately 51 grams of heroin when he was arrested on March 16, 2021, after fleeing from law enforcement officers in a high-speed car chase. According to court documents, Johnson is responsible for distributing at least 2.835 kilograms of heroin, which is over 28,000 potentially lethal, 0.1-gram “doses” of the drug.

Johnson was on state parole following his conviction on drug charges during his involvement in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Co-defendant Roderick A. Hughes, 50, was sentenced on Oct. 10, 2023, to 17 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. According to court documents, Hughes is responsible for distributing at least 461.9 grams of heroin, which is over 4,600 potentially lethal, 0.1-gram “doses” of the drug.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hughes’s apartment on Feb. 23, 2021. Officers found a silver revolver on the kitchen table. They also found a loaded Glock 9mm handgun on a nightstand in the bedroom, a Stoeger 9mm handgun and a Jennings Bryco 9mm handgun on a shelf in the bedroom, and a black safe under the bed that contained 23.4 grams of heroin and $4,703 in cash. Officers also searched the garage and found three plastic bags with a total of 96.3 grams of heroin hidden in the rafters.

Co-defendant Franklin T. Hicks Jr., also known as “Frankie,” 43, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty on May 31, 2022, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1, 2023. Hicks was arrested outside of a hotel in St. Joseph on Jan. 22, 2021. He was in possession of 35.8 grams of heroin and $2,687 in cash. Officers also found a loaded Rock Island Armory .380-caliber handgun under the driver’s seat of his car and a Ruger 9mm handgun in the glovebox.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms on four separate occasions, including an incident that involved a shooting in a neighborhood.

Darris Lamar Mull, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 19, 2022, Mull pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Mull admitted he was in possession of a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a Kel-Tec pistol with an extended 30-round magazine on Dec. 6, 2020.

He also possessed firearms on Dec. 15, 2017, when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence and found a firearm in the dining room and another firearm in the closet; on March 30, 2018, when police officers searched Mull’s vehicle after a traffic stop and found a loaded firearm in the glove box; and on Sept. 2, 2021, when officers found a loaded firearm in his backpack following a foot chase.

Mull, along with co-defendants Cartevion Marquis Chapman, 35, and Nicholas David Caligone, 45, both of Springfield, was involved in a shooting and retaliatory shooting that occurred on Dec. 5 and 6, 2020, over allegations that Mull had stolen drugs from another individual.

Chapman’s vehicle was damaged in a drive-by shooting at Zan Nightclub in downtown Springfield on Dec. 5, 2020. After leaving the nightclub, Chapman met with Mull. Mull received a phone call from his girlfriend, who said the individuals responsible for the shooting at the club were armed and inside their house looking for him. Mull was upset because they went to his house when his kids were present. They went to check on Mull’s girlfriend and children, then Caligone drove Chapman and Mull to find the people who had been at his house, who were at an address on Kerr Street in Springfield.

When they arrived at the Kerr Street residence at about 6 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2020, Chapman told investigators, they got out of the car and “bullets went flying.”

Chapman, Mull and others fired multiple rounds; police officers recovered 40 spent shell casings from the area of the shooting. Shell casings were found in front of at least eight separate residences, indicating that Chapman and Mull sprayed the neighborhood with bullets. At least two of the homes had damage consistent with being struck by gunfire.

Chapman and Mull got into Caligone’s Volkswagen immediately after the shooting and left the area. According to the evidence presented at today’s sentencing hearing, Chapman handed his Kel-Tec firearm to Mull, who put it under the front passenger seat, and put Mull’s Smith & Wesson pistol, which was stolen, in the glovebox. Springfield police officers who heard the gunshots saw Caligone’s vehicle at the intersection of East Kearney and North Delaware and conducted a traffic stop. Caligone, who was driving, Chapman, who was in the front passenger seat, and Mull, who was in the back passenger seat, were arrested.

Investigators determined that some of the expended cartridges recovered from the scene of the Kerr Street shooting came from the two guns found in Caligone’s vehicle and others were fired from two other guns that were not recovered.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Mull has two prior felony convictions for forgery and a prior felony conviction for non-support.

The government’s sentencing motion notes that violent crimes committed with firearms is a significant issue in southwest Missouri. According to the National Incident Based Reporting System, the Springfield Police Department reported 734 violent crimes committed with firearms and 19 homicides in 2021, with approximately 79 percent of the homicides being committed with a firearm. The Greene County Sheriff’s Department reported 44 violent crimes committed with firearms and six homicides, all committed with firearms.

Although violent crime numbers were down slightly in Springfield in 2022, illegal possession and use of firearms have increased. In 2022, Springfield police officers seized 229 illegal guns, an increase from the 150 illegal guns seized in 2021. There was also a record high of “shots fired” calls in 2022, with a total of 356 incidents that resulted in 73 injuries.

Chapman was sentenced on April 4, 2023, to nine years and seven months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. Caligone pleaded guilty on July 5, 2022, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 16, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. –  A Warsaw, Mo., man who claims to be a member of the self-styled 2nd American Militia was indicted by a federal grand jury today for escaping from the Phelps County Jail, where he was being detained on federal charges related to his role in a conspiracy to murder Border Patrol officers following a shootout with FBI agents.

Jonathan S. O’Dell, 33, was charged with one count of escaping from custody in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. This third superseding indictment includes the original charges against O’Dell and co-defendant Bryan C. Perry, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee.

O’Dell escaped from the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Mo., on Sept. 29, 2023. He was recaptured in Ray County, Mo., on Oct. 1, 2023, and remains in federal custody without bond.

The 45-count third superseding indictment alleges that Perry and O’Dell participated in a conspiracy to murder officers and employees of the United States government. They allegedly planned to travel to Texas to shoot at illegal immigrants crossing the United States – Mexico border. According to the indictment, they also planned to murder officers and employees of the U.S. Border Patrol who would attempt to stop them.

In addition, the indictment also alleges that Perry and O’Dell participated in a conspiracy to assault federal officers and employees and a conspiracy to injure federal officers and employees. The indictment also charges them together in seven counts of the attempted murder of FBI special agents, seven counts of assaulting FBI special agents with a deadly weapon, three counts of assaulting FBI special agents, 14 counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of damaging federal property.

Perry is also charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, one count of the possession of body armor by a violent felon, one count of possessing an explosive, and one count of threatening to injure another person. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Perry has a prior felony conviction for robbery.

O’Dell is also charged with one count of possessing a firearm while subject to a court order of protection, one count of threatening to injure another person, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2022, the indictment says, Perry and O’Dell recruited and attempted to recruit other individuals to join their militia group. They advertised a recruitment event in Warsaw prior to leaving for the United States – Mexico border.

On Sept. 5, 2022, Perry traveled from Tennessee to Warsaw to live with O’Dell. They allegedly used O’Dell’s residence as a staging site as they prepared for their trip to the border and collected firearms, paramilitary gear, ammunition, and other supplies.

The federal indictment cites a series of social media posts from Perry. On Sept. 12, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he discussed illegal immigrants coming into the United States from Mexico. Perry stated that the U.S. Border Patrol was committing treason by allowing these illegal immigrants to enter the United States, and that the penalty for treason was death. Perry posted another video on TikTok the next day in which he stated that he was “ready to go to war against this government.”

On Sept. 22, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he stated, “we’re out to shoot to kill” and that “our group is gonna go protect this country.” On Oct. 3, 2022, Perry posted a video on TikTok in which he stated, “we were going out huntin’,” that his group was taking their “full kits,” and that they were leaving for the United States – Mexico border on Oct. 8, 2022. 

On Oct. 3, 2022, Perry held a phone conversation with an unidentified individual in which Perry stated they were going to go down to the United States – Mexico border to “start a war.”  Perry expressed their plan to shoot people coming across the border and to shoot “federal agents” who would oppose them.  Perry also stated they would acquire gear and supplies from federal agents after they “take a couple of ’em out.”

On Oct. 7, 2022, according to the indictment, Perry and O’Dell had amassed six firearms, 23 magazines filled with ammunition, 1,770 rounds of various other ammunition, two sets of body armor with corresponding plate carrier vests, a handheld radio, two sniper rests, two gas masks, two items that appeared to be ballistic helmets, and multiple containers of a binary explosive mixture commonly sold as an exploding target.

On Oct. 7, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at O’Dell’s residence and took O’Dell and Perry into custody. Federal agents approached the property in vehicles with red and blue lights activated. As the FBI approached, an agent utilized a loudspeaker on one of the vehicles, stating that they were with the FBI and that they had a search warrant for the residence. The FBI agent began to repeat the announcement, again stating that they were with the FBI, when gunshots were fired from a front window at the lead FBI vehicle. Several rounds hit the lead FBI vehicle. According to the indictment, Perry fired 11 shots from his Voodoo Innovations multi-caliber rifle with an AM-15 lower receiver. FBI special agents did not return fire and, after the gunshots ceased, the FBI established a perimeter and began communicating with the persons inside the residence to come out.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Ashley Turner. It was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Ray County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Caldwell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Six defendants have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy that resulted in more than $240,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Renetta Golden-Larimore, 54, Tajona Manning, 31, and Tashawn Mayfield, 24, all of Kansas City, Mo., Camonte Henderson, 25, of Raytown, Mo., Quinniece Smith, 33, of Dallas, Texas, and Dannisha Taylor 32, of New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a seven-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Oct. 18. That indictment was unsealed and made public today.

The federal indictment alleges that each of the six defendants participated in a conspiracy to submit false and fraudulent applications for PPP loans from March 2021 to January 2022. The scheme allegedly caused more than $240,000 in fraudulent PPP loans to be issued to ineligible borrowers, some of which were forgiven even though the funds were not used for the purposes specified in the PPP.

According to the indictment, Golden-Larimore prepared and filed fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of the other co-conspirators. She allegedly received payments between $2,000 and $7,000 from the loan proceeds for her assistance in filing false and fraudulent PPP loan applications. Golden-Larimore created counterfeit IRS forms for nonexistent businesses, the indictment says, and inflated income for existing businesses in order to qualify the borrower for a PPP loan.

Manning, Mayfield, Henderson, Smith, and Taylor each received a PPP loan of $20,832.

In addition to the conspiracy, Manning, Mayfield, Henderson, and Taylor each are charged with one count of wire fraud. Smith is also charged with two counts of wire fraud.

The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, which would require Golden-Larimore to forfeit to the government at least $75,833, which represents the proceeds she obtained from the conspiracy, and each of the remaining defendants to forfeit to the government $20,832, which represents the proceeds they obtained from the conspiracy.

In a separate case, Golden-Larimore was also charged in an April 26, 2023, federal indictment for her role in a similar conspiracy that resulted in nearly $250,000 in fraudulent PPP loans being issued to a dozen Kansas City metropolitan area residents.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Galena, Kansas, man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine to distribute and a firearm.

Carlos Joseph Blake Gandy, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Monday, Oct. 23, to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Gandy was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Oct. 18, 2022, Gandy pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Gandy was arrested on Aug. 30, 2021, when a law enforcement officer saw him driving a motorcycle in Joplin, Mo., although his driver’s license was revoked. Gandy pulled into a restaurant parking lot and carried a black backpack with him into the restaurant. Gandy placed the backpack in a booth while he waited in line with other customers to order. A Joplin police officer placed Gandy under arrest for driving with a revoked license. When the officer asked him about the backpack, Gandy denied having a bag.

Officers found the backpack in a booth. Inside the backpack, officers found a plastic baggie that contained approximately 33.86 grams of methamphetamine, another baggie that contained approximately 3.2 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded Rock Island Armory .45-caliber pistol.

Gandy committed this federal offense while on parole or probation for two robbery convictions and a conviction for stealing a car. Gandy also has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, resisting arrest, possessing a chemical with the intent to create a controlled substance, and possessing a stolen vehicle.

This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who was injured when his ATV flipped over while making a turn on an Independence, Mo., street was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms and methamphetamine.

Melvin L. Carter, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 13 years and nine months in federal prison without parole.

On May 30, 2023, Carter pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Independence police officers were called to an address on S. Overton Avenue on Oct. 14, 2022, after Carter was ejected from his ATV as it flipped over while making a turn. Prior to the officers’ arrival, the Independence Fire Department responded to an earlier 911 call and informed officers that Carter had been armed when they arrived at the scene of the accident. They retrieved his firearm, a Keltec 9mm pistol, which they turned over to the police officers. Officers found the ATV flipped on its side when they arrived at the scene. Carter was bleeding from his head and being treated by paramedics.

Police officers checked Carter’s jacket and found a plastic baggie that contained approximately 105 grams of methamphetamine.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Carter has prior felony convictions for robbery, possession of a controlled substance, sale of a controlled substance, trafficking, and resisting arrest.

After Carter was federally indicted, Independence police officers located him and placed him under arrest on March 22, 2023. Carter was in possession of a loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun with an extended magazine and approximately 215 grams of methamphetamine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using the stolen identities of prison inmates to fraudulently obtain federal unemployment benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Brooke Stewart, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Stewart to pay $139,663 in restitution to the Missouri Dept of Employment Security and a $50 fine.

On May 18, 2023, Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of stealing government funds. Stewart admitted that she facilitated the filing of false claims for unemployment benefits by using the stolen identity information of five individuals who were incarcerated in state or federal prison and therefore not eligible to receive Missouri and enhanced unemployment benefits. Stewart also fraudulently received federal unemployment benefits in her own name and another person.

As a result of her fraud scheme, Stewart stole at least $139,663 in benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided additional federal pandemic unemployment compensation to eligible individuals receiving other unemployment benefits under state laws. These funds were intended to assist persons who were unemployed because of the pandemic.

None of the inmates whose identity information was stolen actually received any of the fraudulently obtained benefits. Among those individuals whose stolen identity information was used to obtain benefits from May 2020 to June 2021 were federal defendants Garland Nelson and Brooke Beckley. Nelson is serving a 32-year federal prison sentence for a cattle fraud scheme that led to two murders in Braymer, Mo., and for illegally possessing a firearm, as well as two life sentences in a separate state case for the murders. Beckley is serving a 40-year prison sentence for her role in the murder of a Mexican national who was executed to help her avoid paying a debt owed in a drug-trafficking conspiracy in the Springfield, Mo., area.

Stewart was on supervision from a 2019 state court conviction for trafficking in stolen identities, which resulted in a 10-year suspended sentence, at the time of this federal offense. A revocation hearing has been ordered in that case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations & Labor Racketeering Fraud.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Grain Valley, Mo., police officer has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child.

August Price Gildehaus, 27, currently a resident of Blue Springs, Mo., was charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Oct. 17. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Gildehaus’s arrest and initial court appearance.

Gildehaus was a Grain Valley police officer at the time of the alleged offenses but is no longer employed by the city. Gildehaus was originally charged by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

The federal indictment charges Gildehaus with one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 6, 2023; one count of producing child pornography on Aug. 19, 2022; and one count of attempting to distribute child pornography on Sept. 6, 2022.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for uploading an obscene bestiality video to his online Google account.

Brian Joe Gravatt, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Wednesday, Oct. 18, to five years in federal prison without parole.

Gravatt was required to register as a sex offender due to his prior convictions of statutory rape and statutory sodomy against 14- and 15-year-old victims He was on probation at the time of this offense for failing to register as a sex offender.

On April 4, 2023, Gravatt pleaded guilty to one count of transporting obscene material. Gravatt admitted that on Oct. 28, 2020, he uploaded a 33-minute video to his Google Photos account that depicts an adult woman performing a series of graphic sex acts with a large dog. Gravatt acknowledged the video is intended to appeal to prurient interests and that, judged by contemporary, adult, community standards of the community, depicts sex acts in a patently offensive way and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value.

The video was discovered by law enforcement while investigating a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a complaint of suspected child pornography stored in Gravatt’s Google Photos account.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.