Western District of Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for stealing timber from Mark Twain National Forest.

Justin Lee Massey, 39, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

Today’s indictment alleges that Massey stole timber from federal property in Howell County, Mo., between Dec. 15, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation, which would require Massey to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the alleged violation, including a money judgment of $30,000.

The charge contained in this indictment 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 Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Forestry Service.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for sexually assaulting a child victim and recording the abuse on his cell phone.

William Shane Berg, 50, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Berg to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On June 2, 2022, Berg pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet. Berg admitted that he sexually abused a minor victim, identified in court documents as John Doe 2.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Berg’s residence on April 12, 2020, and seized a laptop computer, VHS tapes, CDs, two laptop hard drives, a portable hard drive, a CD writer, USB drives, a camera and media card, three Chromebooks, and a cell phone. Investigators found multiple files on the cell phone and the laptop computer that depicted Berg sexually abusing John Doe 2. They also found additional files of child pornography that Berg downloaded from the internet.

When the victim was interviewed at the Springfield Child Advocacy Center, he told investigators that Berg started sexually abusing him when he was in the fifth grade. He said Berg took videos on his cell phone during the sexual abuse.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the FBI and the Springfield, 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."

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Nixa, Mo., man who used his business to steal customers’ identity information in a scheme to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent car loans was sentenced in federal court today.

Chris R. King, 48, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to four years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered King to pay $646,597 in restitution to his victims and to forfeit the same amount to the government.

On Nov. 20, 2021, King pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

King, formerly the co-owner of Queen City Motors, a used car business in Springfield, Mo., admitted that he stole the identity information of individuals who were interested in obtaining loans to purchase vehicles from him. King used that information, without the knowledge or authorization of the potential customers, to fraudulently submit loan applications and receive funds wired to his bank account from Credit Acceptance, a company that dealt specifically in the approval of subprime loans for individuals with poor credit ratings.

King fraudulently submitted at least 30 automobile loan applications and received cash deposits of approximately $783,475 between Nov. 1, 2018, and Nov. 8, 2020.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An inmate at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo., was indicted by a federal grand jury today for assaulting the warden.

Omar Romero-Morales, 36, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield.

According to the indictment, Romero-Morales punched the medical center’s warden in the face.

The charge contained in this indictment 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 Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, and the Bureau of Prisons.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A passenger aboard an Alaska Airlines flight has been charged in a federal criminal complaint after the flight was diverted from its course and landed at Kansas City International Airport.

Chloe M. Dasilva, 32, was charged with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, April 7. Dasilva, who remains in federal custody, will have her initial court appearance today.

An affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint alleges that Dasilva interfered with the duties of flight attendants while she was a passenger aboard Alaska Airlines flight 456. The flight was scheduled for nonstop service from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. However, the flight was diverted into Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., at approximately 4:20 a.m. Friday, April 7.

According to the affidavit, Dasilva, who had been disruptive during the flight, was involved in a confrontation with a male flight attendant, cussing and yelling and threatening to kill him. A flight attendant, with the assistance of two passengers, used zip ties to restrain her. One of the passengers switched seats with a mother and her infant who was seated directly in front of Dasilva for their safety.

The pilot decided to divert to Kansas City instead of going to Chicago because he was concerned for the safety of the passengers.

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 Matthew Blackwood. It was investigated by the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A second Mexican national has been sentenced in federal court after a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper found more than 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of methamphetamine and a firearm during a car stop on Interstate 70 in Saline County, Mo.

Gustavo Renteria-Rojas, 39, a citizen of Mexico residing in Evanston, Ill., was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, April 6, to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

His brother and co-defendant, Jose Alfredo Renteria-Rojas, 34, a citizen of Mexico residing in Des Plaines, Illinois, was sentenced on Monday, April 3, to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Both Gustavo and Jose Renteria-Rojas have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Gustavo Renteria-Rojas was driving a white 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SE on April 5, 2021, and Jose Renteria-Rojas was a passenger in the vehicle, which was stopped by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on eastbound I-70 in Saline County, Mo. The trooper could smell the odor of burnt and raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle as he stood outside the front passenger-side window. He also noticed a marijuana blunt in the center console. When Gustavo Renteria-Rojas opened the glove box to retrieve the requested paperwork, a bag of marijuana was visible in plain view.

Gustavo Renteria-Rojas was placed in the trooper’s patrol car. The trooper requested Jose Renteria-Rojas, in the rear passenger seat, to exit the vehicle for a vehicle search. As Jose Renteria-Rojas did so, air fresheners fell from the car. Jose Renteria-Rojas then collected them and put them in the door pocket, which also contained a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun with a magazine, as well as an extra magazine.

The trooper searched the vehicle and found four white cardboard boxes in the trunk that contained 36 packages with a total of 88.7 pounds of methamphetamine. The trooper also found a methamphetamine smoking pipe concealed within a roll of toilet paper on the driver’s seat where Gustavo Renteria-Rojas had been sitting.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms following his involvement in two drive-by shootings.

Cartevion Marquis Chapman, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, April 4, to nine years and seven months in federal prison without parole.

On March 24, 2022, Chapman pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. Chapman 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.

According to court documents, Chapman was involved in a shooting and retaliatory shooting that occurred on Dec. 5 and 6, 2020, over allegations of stolen drugs.

Chapman’s vehicle was damaged in a drive-by shooting at a nightclub in downtown Springfield on Dec. 5, 2020. After leaving the nightclub, Chapman met with co-defendant Darris Lamar Mull, 38, of Springfield. Mull received a phone call from his girlfriend, who said there were people with guns inside their house looking for Mull. 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 co-defendant Nicholas David Caligone, 44, of Springfield, 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 casing 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. Chapman hid his Kel-Tec firearm 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 felony stop. Caligone, who was driving, Chapman, who was in the front passenger seat, and Mull, who was in the back passenger seat, were arrested.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Chapman has two prior felony convictions for burglaries at businesses and prior felony convictions for aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm for pointing a gun at the victim and her boyfriend and threatening them. Chapman, who was on probation for that firearm offense at the time of his arrest in this case, also has 20 misdemeanor criminal convictions and multiple arrests that did not result in charges.

Mull pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and awaits sentencing. Caligone pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and awaits sentencing.

Chapman is also charged in a separate case in Greene County Circuit Court with unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm related to this incident.

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 Houston, Texas, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing nearly $7,000 in prescription drugs from a Columbia, Mo., pharmacy.

Reginald Tremayne Jackson, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count of the burglary of a business registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

By pleading guilty today, Jackson admitted that he broke into the drive through window at Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy, 1608 Chapel Hill Road, at approximately 2:26 a.m. on June 4, 2022. Once inside the pharmacy, Jackson used a pry tool to force open a locked cabinet that contained prescription medications. Jackson put the prescription bottles in a green-and-white-striped bag, left the pharmacy through the drive-through window, and got into the rear passenger’s seat of a silver Chevrolet Malibu driven by a co-defendant. The vehicle drove away at approximately 2:31 a.m.

Columbia police officers were able to track the Malibu using a GPS tracking device that had been taken during the pharmacy burglary. Officers located the vehicle at the Ramada Inn, 901 Conley Road in Columbia, and conducted a traffic stop. Jackson was in the rear passenger seat of the Malibu; he and the driver were arrested.

Security video footage from Ramada Inn and the GPS tracking device indicated the vehicle had stopped near the Ramada Inn sign for approximately two minutes prior to the traffic stop. Officers walked the tree line area, where they saw footprints in the heavy dew in the grass, and found the green-and-white-striped bag approximately 15 feet from the edge of the tree line. The bag contained stolen prescription bottles of hydromorphone, methylphenidate, morphine, oxycodone, and oxycontin. Kilgore’s provided a calculated list of the drugs and quantities stolen for a drug loss value of approximately $6,981.

Under federal statutes, Jackson is subject to a sentence of up to 20 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Richenberger. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been convicted at trial of illegally possessing a firearm.

Cory T. Brown, 33, was found guilty on Thursday, March 30, of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Brown was in possession of a Glock 10mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine on Oct. 14, 2021. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has prior felony convictions for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting a lawful stop.

Brown, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitive List, was at the residence of co-defendant Myron A. McMillian, 31, of Independence, Mo., on Oct. 14, 2021. Brown had been indicted in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and was a fugitive for two years. (He was later acquitted of the conspiracy charge at trial.)

FBI agents were conducting surveillance of the apartment complex, and several tactical teams approached the apartment building that evening. Before officers could announce their presence, McMillian and two other people ran from the rear door of the apartment. Brown, wearing a red balaclava pulled over his face with only his eyes visible, was arrested near the back door of the apartment. Brown had $11,072 in cash in his pocket and identity documents with his photo but another person’s name. Officers later searched the silver 2021 Mercedes they had seen Brown driving and found a black Louis Vuitton backpack that contained $5,000 in cash.

Officers executed a search warrant at McMillian’s apartment, where they found eight firearms, approximately 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, and $3,188 in cash.

On the kitchen counter, officers found a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock 10mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, and marijuana. Officers also found an Anderson Arms AM-15 .556-caliber firearm and a Romarm Cugir Draco 7.62x39mm pistol in the kitchen area. DNA evidence indicated the Glock pistol had been in Brown’s possession.

In McMillian’s bedroom, officers found a backpack that contained marijuana and approximately $800 in cash. Officers also found a duffel bag that contained approximately 2.5 kilograms of marijuana. Under the mattress of the bed, they found a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. On the dresser, investigators found marijuana and approximately $1,580 in cash. In a dresser drawer, they found marijuana and approximately $800 in cash.

Officers found a New Frontier Armory .223-caliber rifle in the main living room area, on the floor near the fireplace, an FNH 5.7mm semi-automatic pistol on the arm of the couch, and a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol on a shelf.

Law enforcement officers executed another search warrant at McMillian’s apartment (at a different address) on July 14, 2022. Officers found a Glock .380-caliber semi-automatic firearm on the bedroom floor, an Omni Hybrid American Tactical .223/multi-caliber pistol between the mattress and box springs of the bed, and marijuana in the closet and the dresser.

McMillian pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023, and awaits sentencing.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately three hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Tuesday, March 28.

Under federal statutes, Brown is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 Ashleigh A. Ragner and Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Independence, 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.

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

Timothy A. Avey, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 4, 2021, Avey pleaded guilty to one count of possessing pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

The Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at Avey’s residence on June 18, 2019. Officers found 1.38 grams of methamphetamine and a PW Arms firearm in a small safe in the garage. They also found 15 240mg pseudoephedrine pills and 18 120mg pseudoephedrine pills, which Avey admitted he planned to use to manufacture methamphetamine, as well as 10 hallucinogenic mushrooms. Officers found additional components of a methamphetamine lab in the garage. Avey, who admitted he was selling eight ounces of methamphetamine a day, was arrested and posted bond.

On Aug. 29, 2019, a Joplin police officer conducted a traffic stop while Avey was under surveillance. Officers searched the vehicle and, inside a silver Puma bag, found three Ziploc-style baggies; one baggie contained 144 grams of methamphetamine, one contained 1.7 grams of methamphetamine, and one contained 1.4 grams of marijuana. Officers also found another baggie that contained 15.1 grams of methamphetamine in the center console of the vehicle.

According to court documents, these offenses to which Avey pleaded guilty were part of a crime spree that began on May 26, 2019, when Avey attempted to steal items from a store and had 24.2 grams of methamphetamine, heroin, pills, and marijuana in his possession. In June 2019, Avey sold methamphetamine to a confidential law enforcement source. On Aug. 21, 2019, Avey was stopped with 135 grams of methamphetamine. On April 26, 2020, an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop for having the wrong plate on his vehicle, but Avey fled into a field, propelling the components of his methamphetamine lab out of his truck bed as he attempted to flee. On June 28, 2020, Avey was stopped with 104 grams of methamphetamine. On Oct. 26, 2020, Avey attempted to flee from a traffic stop and wrecked into the hand railing of a church; he had a methamphetamine lab in his car. He was arrested on federal charges the following day.

According to court documents, Avey is a member of the Joplin Honkys prison gang.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the FBI, the Sarcoxie, Mo., Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

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 Mexican national was sentenced in federal court today after a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper found more than 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of methamphetamine and a firearm during a car stop on Interstate 70 in Saline County, Mo.

Jose Alfredo Renteria-Rojas, 34, who was residing in Des Plaines, Illinois, was sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Beth Phillips to 11 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 25, 2022, Renteria-Rojas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Renteria-Rojas was a passenger in a white 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SE being driven by his brother, co-defendant Gustavo Renteria-Rojas, 39, a citizen of Mexico residing in Evanston, Ill., on April 5, 2021. Their car was stopped by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on eastbound I-70 in Saline County, Mo. The trooper could smell the odor of burnt and raw marijuana emanating from the vehicle as he stood outside the front passenger-side window. He also noticed a marijuana blunt in the center console. When Gustavo Renteria-Rojas opened the glove box to retrieve the requested paperwork, a bag of marijuana was visible in plain view.

Gustavo Renteria-Rojas was placed in the trooper’s patrol car. The trooper requested Jose Renteria-Rojas, in the rear passenger seat, to exit the vehicle for a vehicle search. As Jose Renteria-Rojas did so, air fresheners fell from the car. Jose Renteria-Rojas then collected them and put them in the door pocket, which also contained a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun with a magazine, as well as an extra magazine.

The trooper searched the vehicle and found four white cardboard boxes in the trunk that contained 36 packages with a total of 88.7 pounds of methamphetamine. The trooper also found a methamphetamine smoking pipe concealed within a roll of toilet paper on the driver’s seat where Gustavo Renteria-Rojas had been sitting.

Gustavo Renteria-Rojas pleaded guilty to the same charges on Oct 13, 2022, and will be sentenced on April 6, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national residing in Raymore, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Abel Miranda-Diaz, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 27 years in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 21, 2022, Miranda-Diaz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 50 grams of more of methamphetamine from 2015 to March 18, 2020.

On March 18, 2020, federal agents saw co-defendant Christopher Aldana-Vergara, 33, a Mexican national residing in Independence, Mo., deliver two kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of methamphetamine to co-defendant Sergio Villegas-Sandoval, 44, a Mexican national residing in Kansas City, Kan. Agents arrested Villegas-Sandoval and seized the drugs. Agents also followed Aldana-Vergara to his residence; when he left his residence a short time later, agents conducted a traffic stop and arrested him. They searched his vehicle and found more than a kilogram of cocaine.

Miranda-Diaz was found hiding under Aldana-Vergara’s residence, a trailer with an attached garage. Agents searched the residence and found a large-scale methamphetamine conversion laboratory. Agents found seven one-gallon containers that contained a total of 31 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, approximately 33 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, approximately two kilograms of heroin, drug ledgers, and a Mossberg sawed-off shotgun.

Miranda-Diaz admitted to investigators that he maintained stash houses in the Kansas City area for the purpose of storing methamphetamine and was paid for this service by a Mexican drug cartel. Miranda-Diaz described how he would unload shipments of methamphetamine, which were often hidden in compartments of car tires, the drive shafts of trucks, gas tanks and car batteries.

According to court documents, Miranda-Diaz is in the country illegally after having been previously convicted and deported for illegally entering the United States.

Miranda-Diaz is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case after pleading guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Aldana-Vergara was sentenced on Jan. 26, 2022, to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Yanez-Sotelo was sentenced on March 9, 2023, to 11 years in federal prison without parole. Villegas-Sandoval was sentenced on Oct. 18, 2022, to nine years in federal prison without parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Raskin and Patrick Edwards. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Ionia, Mo., man was convicted at trial today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Pettis County, Mo.

Thomas W. Pitts, 35, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Pitts participated in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from Feb. 18 to Nov. 16, 2021.

On Oct. 6, 2021, a confidential informant purchased approximately 28.8 grams of methamphetamine from Pitts for $700. An undercover federal agent was also present at Pitts’s residence during the transaction. On Oct. 28, 2021, the confidential informant and the undercover federal agent went to Pitts’s residence again. The confidential informant purchased approximately 57.6 grams of methamphetamine from Pitts for $900. Both of the transactions were recorded.

On Nov. 16, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Pitts’s residence and seized ammunition, a small amount of methamphetamine, and items associated with drug distribution.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for one hour and 10 minutes before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Monday, March 27.

Under federal statutes, Pitts is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison without parole due to his prior drug-trafficking convictions, 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. Attorneys Byron H. Black and Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Clair County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Henry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The owner of a Kansas City, Mo., pawn shop pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a $744,000 scheme to fence more than 14,000 stolen items and sell them on eBay.

Dennis G. Russell, 65, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to a federal information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines.

During the scheme, Russell was one of two members of the board of directors of Rison of KC, Inc., which does business as National Pawn at 6223 E. Truman Road in Kansas City, Mo. Rison of KC is also charged with the same offense but has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

By pleading guilty today, Russell admitted that he participated in a conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 27, 2021, to purchase items he knew had been stolen from various retail locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, then sell those items on eBay. Russell shipped approximately 14,672 stolen items across state lines, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $744,222.

Multiple individuals, known as “boosters,” stole items from Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, Walgreens, and other retail locations. They sold such stolen items as robot vacuum cleaners, textbooks, Roku and Google Chromecast television streaming devices, and Crest Whitestrips to Russell at a fraction of their retail price. Russell then posted the stolen items for sale on eBay, using one of two accounts, and shipped them to purchasers in numerous other states.

On Oct. 21, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at National Pawn and seized 3,400 items, which Russell and National Pawn do not contest were stolen property.

Rison of KC has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of that agreement, the business admits to the criminal conspiracy and accepts responsibility for the acts of its officers and employees. The government will defer prosecution of Rison of KC for that conduct during the three-year term of the agreement and will not continue with prosecution if the business fully complies with its obligations under the agreement, which include:

• National Pawn must keep a current list of all employees, all financial accounts, and all auction websites it utilizes;
• National Pawn must obtain and retain a verifiable third-party receipt for any new product purchased;
• Russell must not work at or profit from National Pawn.

Russell must forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of this offense, including a money judgment of $744,222. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Russell will not work at National Pawn, direct the operations of National Pawn, or profit from National Pawn or any other pawn shop while serving any term of probation or supervised release.

Under federal statutes, Russell is subject to a sentence of up to five 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 Nicholas Heberle, Matthew Wolesky, and Anthony Brown. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man and woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

Alonso Alfredo Nunez, also known as “Bullet,” 19, and Jaloany Garcia-Medina, also known as “J. Lo,” 20, were charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on March 14, 2023. They were arrested today and had their initial court appearance.

The federal indictment alleges that Nunez and Garcia-Medina participated in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl from July 25 to Dec. 18, 2022. In addition to the conspiracy, Nunez and Gacia-Medina are also charged together in one count of distributing fentanyl. Garcia-Medina is also charged with two counts of distributing fentanyl.

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 Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Harrisonville, Mo., man was convicted at trial today after his testimony in a previous trial for Social Security fraud resulted in an additional charge of perjury being filed against him.

Michael Sylvara, 37, who currently lives in Ozark, Mo., but lived in Harrisonville at the time of the offense, was found guilty of one count of Social Security fraud and one count of perjury.

Sylvara was originally indicted for Social Security fraud. Sylvara, who oversaw his disabled father’s Social Security benefits from 2016 to 2019, converted $42,369 of his father’s benefits to his own use. Sylvara testified in his own defense during a trial in October 2022, which resulted in a hung jury.

Sylvara was subsequently charged in a superseding indictment on Nov. 17, 2022. The superseding indictment contains the original charge of Social Security fraud and adds the perjury charge.

Sylvara was designated as the representative payee for his father, who is now deceased. As the representative payee, Sylvara was legally obligated to use all of the benefit payments to meet his father’s needs. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Sylvara instead converted some of his father’s benefit payments for his personal use to pay his utility, insurance and student loan bills, as well as his realtor association fees.

Sylvara also presented testimony that he knew was false while under oath during his first trial in October 2022. Sylvara attempted to justify multiple cash withdrawals (totaling over $23,000) he made from the representative payee account. He claimed under oath he had an agreement with Social Security that he could be paid $14 an hour for taking care of his father. Subsequent investigation showed there is no such agreement and there never has been.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for an hour and a half before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Tuesday, March 21.

Under federal statutes, Sylvara is subject to a sentence of up to five 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the Social Security Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today on charges related to heroin and methamphetamine trafficking and to illegally possessing firearms.

Brian K. Tice, 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On July 20, 2022, Tice pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, two counts of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

Tice admitted that he received an Express Mail package from California on Feb. 18, 2022, that contained 393.26 grams of heroin. The package was intercepted by a postal inspector, who learned that Tice had been sent 20 similar packages from the same person in California over the previous year. Law enforcement officers set up a controlled delivery of the package to Tice’s residence. When he brought the package inside and opened it, officers executed a search warrant at his residence.

Officers found a loaded Springfield Armory handgun, which was later determined to be stolen, and a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun on the bed where the controlled delivery parcel was located. Officers also found a Springfield Armory handgun and a Bryco .380-caliber handgun, which was later determined to be stolen, in the closet of the same bedroom. Officers also seized 115 grams of methamphetamine, two grams of crack cocaine, four cell phones and drug paraphernalia.

On March 5, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Tice when he left a residence they had under surveillance. Officers searched Tice and the vehicle he was in, and seized 84 tablets of benzodiazepines, 69 tablets of Alprazolam, 108 tablets of Zolpidem Tartrate, 24 tablets of Hydrocone, and a vial that contained fentanyl.

Tice had earlier been stopped by a Jackson County sheriff’s deputy, which is the basis for one of the heroin distribution counts. At about 11 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2019, Tice was driving a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta and made a left-hand turn onto Broadway from West 39th Street in Kansas City. The deputy braked to avoid a collision with the Jetta, which continued traveling north on Broadway down the middle of the street. The deputy stopped the vehicle and conducted a series of field sobriety tests, which Tice failed. The deputy arrested Tice for driving under the influence; during a search the deputy found two plastic bags that contained a total of 25 grams of heroin and $3,762 in cash in Tice’s pockets. The deputy also searched Tice’s vehicle and found a grocery sack underneath the driver’s seat that contained a plastic bag with approximately 91 grams of heroin.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Tice has prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been convicted at trial of illegally possessing a firearm after he pointed his pistol at an ex-girlfriend’s head and threatened to kill her, then crashed into several vehicles while attempting to flee from law enforcement officers.

Jonathan Good, 31, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm on Tuesday, March 21. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Good was in possession of a Taurus 9mm handgun on July 29, 2020.

Kansas City police officers were called to a residence on July 29, 2020. A woman at the residence reported that Good had arrived on her front porch, drunk and belligerent, at about 11:24 p.m., waving a gun around and yelling. She told him to leave, after which she heard a single gunshot from the front porch. She followed Good to his car, where he pointed his pistol at her head and threatened to kill her. Good got into his silver Ford Mustang and left as officers were arriving.

A Kansas City police officer was parked in front of the victim’s residence at approximately 11:47 p.m. Good returned to the scene in his Ford Mustang, then shifted into reverse and began driving away. When Good reached the intersection of 72nd Steet and Walrond, he shifted his car into drive and drove south on Walrond.  Officers pursued Good, who was driving at 60 miles per hour. Good failed to stop at one stop sign before losing control of his vehicle. Good’s vehicle hit the sidewalk then spun and collided with one vehicle parked on Walrond before slamming into another two vehicles parked in a residential driveway, where it was disabled. Good was arrested and transported to a local hospital to check for injuries. While at the hospital, when staff lifted him off the gurney onto the hospital bed, they found three live rounds of 9mm ammunition.

At approximately 1 a.m. on July 30, 2020, officers searched Good’s residence and found the loaded Taurus 9mm pistol hidden inside an old charcoal grill with the legs missing, which was sitting on the grass in the front yard. Forensic investigators indicated a DNA sample recovered from the trigger guard of the pistol implicated Good as a major contributor.  The KCPD expert testified the genetic information from the trigger was 7 octillion times more likely to be observed if Jonathan Good and four unknown individuals are the contributors than if five individuals are the contributors.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Good has three prior felony convictions for domestic assault, two prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, and prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, violating an order of protection, and domestic assault.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for 30 minutes before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, ending a trial that began Monday, March 20.

Due to his prior felony convictions, Good is classified as an armed career criminal. Under federal statutes, Good is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 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 Stefan C. Hughes and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon E. Gibson. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Operation LeGend

Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Aurora, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Barry County, Mo.

Brian E. Hall, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

By pleading guilty today, Hall admitted he participated in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from various members of the drug-trafficking organization, including Hall. Hall admitted that he was distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in the southwest Missouri region. Hall also admitted he has traveled to Arizona and Oklahoma numerous times to purchase 20 to 50 pounds of methamphetamine at a time and bring it back to Missouri.

A confidential informant assisted in the controlled buy of 413 grams (approximately one pound) of methamphetamine from Hall on June 16, 2021, for $1,400. A confidential informant assisted in the controlled buy of 431.27 grams of methamphetamine from Hall on June 22, 2021, for $3,500.

Investigators also interviewed a property owner who was involved in an owner-financed sale of a house and storage units to Hall for $10,000 per month, paid in cash. The property owner was aware that Hall sold methamphetamine and did not have legitimate income to purchase the properties. Hall met the property owner in February and in March 2022 to make the $10,000 payments, which were relinquished to the government.

On April 28, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence. Officers seized seven pounds of methamphetamine, a stolen Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was found underneath Hall’s bed, approximately $57,000 in cash found inside a safe, and drug paraphernalia used for the packaging and sale of methamphetamine. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Hall must forfeit the $57,000 to the government.

Hall told investigators he was expecting a large delivery of methamphetamine that evening, and that he planned to give the courier the $57,000. At approximately 10 p.m., a black Toyota Camry arrived at Hall’s residence. The driver and a passenger were immediately arrested, and officers seized approximately 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Hall is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 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 Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Combined Ozark Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team (COMET), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, and the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The former operator of a Kansas City, Mo., pawn shop pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a $3 million scheme to fence more than 100,000 stolen items and sell them on eBay.

Frank J. Santa Maria, 58, of Leawood, Kansas, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to a federal information that charges him with one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.

Santa Maria operated J’s Pawn, which was owned by his wife, for approximately 20 years until it closed in January 2023.

By pleading guilty today, Santa Maria admitted that he knowingly purchased approximately 100,860 items that had been stolen from various retailers in the Kansas City area, such as Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, CVS, and Walgreens. Santa Maria then posted the stolen items for sale on multiple eBay pages and shipped them to purchasers across the country, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $3,079,342.

Today’s plea agreement refers to four unidentified “boosters,” or shoplifters, from whom Santa Maria purchased such stolen items as ink cartridges, Crest Whitestrips, Rogaine products, Nicorette products, over-the-counter supplements and medications, Spypoint cameras, Nikon rangefinders, and electric fence systems over a four-and-a-half-year period from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 24, 2021.

During the execution of a search warrant at J’s Pawn on Oct. 21, 2021, officers seized 4,749 items that Santa Maria does not contest were stolen property.Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Santa Maria must forfeit to the government all property derived from the proceeds of the offense, including a money judgment of $2,752,352. Santa Maria must also forfeit $302,172 that was seized from his bank account in a pending civil asset forfeiture proceeding.

Under federal statutes, Santa Maria is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 Nicholas Heberle, Matthew Wolesky, and Anthony Brown. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Mexico, Mo., man who was in a vehicle that led officers on a high-speed chase before crashing into several other vehicles was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms and methamphetamine to distribute.

Myron Samare Mahaney, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 1, 2022, Mahaney pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper attempted to stop a Nissan Rouge, in which Mahaney was a passenger, that was traveling 95 miles per hour on U.S. Highway 54 on March 14, 2022. The Nissan accelerated rapidly when the trooper turned on his lights and siren then drove onto U.S. Highway 50 in Jefferson City, traveling 107 miles per hour. The Nissan exited onto Dix Road and crashed into multiple vehicles that were stopped in traffic on southbound Dix Road.

Mahaney fled on foot from the vehicle but was taken into custody by Jefferson City police officers. Mahaney was carrying a crossbody bag that contained approximately 219 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a loaded Springfield .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun. He had $2,086 in cash in his front 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. Mahaney has a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon after he pulled up to a residence, got out of his vehicle, yelled for the residents to come out and fight and then started shooting toward the residence with his firearm, a Glock 19 with a 50-round drum.

The driver of the white Nissan was Malik Miller, 25, of Mokane, Mo. Miller pleaded guilty in Cole County, Mo., Circuit Court to felony charges of accessory to trafficking drugs, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. Miller was also sentenced in federal court on Feb. 10, 2023, to 15 years in federal prison without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm in a separate and unrelated case.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Richenberger. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The owner of a Kirbyville, Mo., towing company, and the owner of a Springfield, Mo., business have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a conspiracy to illegally tamper with the emissions controls of the company’s diesel towing vehicles.

Dennis Cleveland, 73, of Kirbyville, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Thursday, March 9, to a federal information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and one count of tampering with a Clean Air Act monitoring device.

Robert Dyche, 67, of Springfield, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty on Monday, March 13, to a federal information that charges him with one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.

Cleveland is the owner of Affordable Towing, a roadside, recovery, hauling, and mobile repair provider for commercial and private automobiles and vehicles throughout southwest Missouri. Affordable Towing utilized heavy-duty, commercial diesel trucks to tow and haul away vehicles to repair facilities.

By pleading guilty, Cleveland admitted that, since 2011, he has directed his employees to physically disable emissions control components on multiple heavy-duty diesel tow trucks.

Cleveland conspired with Dyche, the owner and operator of Full Flash Tuning, which specializes in illegally tampering with the on-board diagnostic systems on these vehicles. Cleveland caused the Affordable Towing trucks to be tampered with to save money by avoiding maintenance expenses on emissions control systems and by spending less money on fuel.

This tampering is frequently referred to as “tuning” or “flashing” an on-board diagnostic system. One purpose for “tuning” is to allow the vehicles to continue to seemingly operate normally while the emissions control system is disabled, rather than forcing the vehicle’s engine into a state known as “limp mode,” which greatly limits the maximum speed of the vehicle, incentivizing the driver or owner to repair the malfunction. The use of “tuning” thereby serves to reduce the high costs associated with maintaining or repairing components of the emissions control systems on heavy-duty diesel trucks.

As a consequence of “tuning,” tampered vehicles spew substantially more deleterious pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (Nox), carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), and particulate matter (PM) into the air, presenting a risk to the environment and public health.

Cleveland, through Affordable Towing, contracted with Dyche on multiple occasions to “tune” or “flash” the emissions control systems of Affordable Towing vehicles, thereby causing multiple fleet vehicles to be altered in such a way that the vehicles released pollutants into the air that far exceeded the legally allowable amounts under the Clean Air Act. Each diesel truck would continue to operate normally, as if the vehicle were operating in accord with existing Clean Air Act restrictions, rather than go into limp mode.

In addition to personally tuning Affordable Towing vehicles, Dyche, on multiple occasions, would take the vehicles to an unidentified entity in Rogersville, Mo., to “tune” the vehicles, for which he was compensated by Affordable Towing.

Under federal statutes, Cleveland is subject to a sentence of up to seven years in federal prison without parole Dyche is subject to a sentence of up to five 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.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. They were investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Rodney Shawn Henry, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Henry to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration, and ordered Henry to pay $48,000 in restitution to the identified victims. Henry 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. 16, 2022, Henry pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. Henry was a registered sex offender prior to this federal case due to his conviction for sexually abusing a 9-year-old child.

Springfield police officers arrested Henry on Jan. 21, 2019, for failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements by not reporting his home address. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Henry’s residence the next day and seized his cell phone and digital storage devices. A forensic investigation of the cell phone and digital storage devices resulted in the discovery of well over 100,000 videos and images of child pornography. The images included children as young as toddlers being sexually brutalized.

Prior to Henry’s arrest, investigators had received a Cybertip Report after Dropbox, Inc., discovered images of child pornography that Henry had uploaded to his account.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and the Springfield, 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."

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Marshfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Kyle R. Evans, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On May 23, 2022, Evans 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.

On June 18, 2017, a Greene County sheriff’s deputy saw Evans driving a motorcycle northbound on West Bypass near the intersection with Nichols Street. Evans was speeding and driving erratically, and the deputy followed him from a distance. Nichols turned the corner from Eldon Street onto Nichols Street at a high rate of speed and slid into a Ford pickup truck. The deputy saw a Glock firearm lying on the road near where Evans was laying. The deputy detained Evans and searched him. Evans had $1,000 in one pocket, $633 in another pocket, and a nylon pistol holder tucked into his front waistband. Officers also found a motorcycle bag in the crash debris that contained several baggies with a total of five grams of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Evans has prior felony convictions for domestic assault, assaulting a law enforcement officer, possessing a chemical with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, distributing a controlled substance, assault, armed criminal action, tampering with a motor vehicle, unlawfully possessing a firearm, and conspiracy to tamper with a witness in a felony prosecution.

According to court documents, Evans fled from law enforcement officers on Aug. 24, 2017, and left a firearm in the vehicle he had been driving. On Sept. 27, 2017, he again fled from officers in a high-speed chase. His vehicle was later found in a field with a firearm between the center console and passenger seat.

On Nov. 16, 2017, Evans shot a victim identified as “K.B.” while stealing his motorcycle. According to court documents, Evans conspired to tamper with a witness while he was in custody after being arrested. Evans was convicted of the shooting and motorcycle theft in Greene County, Mo., and sentenced to 20 years in state prison. He is currently incarcerated in that case and will serve his state sentence concurrently to the sentence in this federal case.

Evans is also serving a 15-year state sentence after pleading guilty to distributing a controlled substance in Webster County, Mo., and also will serve that sentence concurrently to the sentence in this federal case.

During his time in state prison, according to court documents, Evans joined a violent prison gang, the Southwest Honkys. During a drug investigation involving members of the Honkys in 2017, Evans was caught on a wire threatening to harm an individual he believed had cooperated with police.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing more than 5 kilograms of methamphetamine that he received in the mail while he was on bond on an earlier federal indictment that also charged him with methamphetamine trafficking.

David Lee Williams, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

In January 2022, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted two packages that each contained a total of approximately 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. Each of the packages was addressed to a different residence utilized by Williams. On Jan. 19, 2022, Postal Inspection agents conducted a controlled delivery at one of the residences and executed search warrants at both residences.

At the time of this offense, Williams was on bond in a separate and unrelated federal indictment; his bond in that case was revoked following his arrest on Jan. 19, 2022. Williams then pleaded guilty in that separate case to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and  was sentenced on March 3, 2022, to 17 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Under federal statutes, Williams is subject in this case 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Richenberger. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after he was arrested in St. Joseph, Mo., with methamphetamine and a firearm, then again in Kansas City, Mo., with approximately 2,300 fentanyl pills.

Walter Antwine Moore, 42, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Moore on Feb. 13, 2023. Moore has been detained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.

The indictment charges Moore with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers contacted Moore when he arrived at a train station in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 10, 2023. Moore became confrontational with the detective who questioned him, the affidavit says, and attempted to flee on foot. He was tackled by the detective and detained with the assistance of other detectives and tactical response officers. Officers found a bundle wrapped in clear cellophane on the floor close to where Moore was detained. The bundle, according to the affidavit, contained approximately 2,300 fentanyl pills.

Moore had also been detained by law enforcement officers in St. Joseph, Mo., on Jan. 7, 2023. According to the affidavit, St. Joseph police officers were dispatched to Speedy’s Convenience Store to investigate a report of a man who reportedly stole a bag of potato chips and was trying to sell drugs. Officers searched his vehicle and found a baggy that contained numerous clear plastic baggies with a total of 284.8 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also found a loaded Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the car.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Moore has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for forgery, and prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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 Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force.

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 Compton, California man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after law enforcement officers found more than 18 kilograms of methamphetamine in a suitcase he was smuggling through Kansas City, Mo., aboard a bus bound for Atlanta, Georgia.

Diego Ruiz-Bibian, 19, was charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Ruiz-Bibian on Feb. 14, 2023.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, detectives with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department contacted Ruiz-Bibian at a local bus station on Feb. 13, 2023, when he arrived in Kansas City traveling aboard a bus from Denver, Colorado, on his way to Atlanta. Although one of the detectives had seen Ruiz-Bibian pick up a hard-sided suitcase from the luggage area of the bus, the affidavit says, he told the detectives it did not belong to him.

A detective searched the suitcase and found eight bundles in heat-sealed “Food Saver” style bags, which contained a total of 18.33 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The charge contained in this indictment 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 Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Missouri Western Interdiction Narcotics (MoWIN) Task Force.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today in two separate indictments for illegally possessing firearms.

Yacub E. Williams, 38, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Williams to 10 years on the indictments plus four years on the revocation of his supervised release in a prior conviction.

On Sept. 22, 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to two separate federal indictments. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In a second case, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being a violent felon in possession of body armor.

Williams admitted that he was in possession of a Kel-Tec 5.56-caliber rifle on Dec. 27, 2019, while he was in a white 2015 Ford Fusion parked at his Kansas City residence.

On June 16, 2020, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were conducting surveillance on a residence in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in order to serve a federal arrest warrant on Williams for violating the terms of his supervised release for a prior federal conviction. Williams left the residence and got into the driver’s seat of the same 2015 white Ford Fusion. He appeared to retrieve something from the vehicle, then got out and walked to the back yard of the residence. Officers approached the residence and found Williams, carrying a Beretta .40-caliber pistol, running from the property.

Williams barricaded himself behind a detached water heater next to a nearby shed for several hours before he surrendered. Officers found the pistol behind the water heater. Officers also searched the Ford Fusion and found the body armor.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Williams has prior felony convictions for assault, armed criminal action, being a felon in possession of a firearm, aiding and abetting a bank robbery, and use of a firearm during a violent crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jackson County, Mo., 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.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Gladstone, Mo., husband and wife pleaded guilty in federal court today to producing and distributing pornographic images of two child victims.

Joshua Paul Goodspeed, 47, and Jennifer Goodspeed, 38, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Joshua Goodspeed pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet, and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet. Jennifer Goodspeed pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography over the internet.

By pleading guilty today, Joshua Goodspeed admitted he used two child victims to produce child pornography from Jan. 1, 2011, to March 12, 2012. Goodspeed also admitted that he attempted to distribute child pornography on Nov. 17, 2020, and that he received child pornography over the internet on Feb. 29, 2012.

Jennifer Goodspeed admitted that she attempted to distribute an image of child pornography over the internet on Feb. 29, 2012.

Joshua Goodspeed pleaded guilty without a plea agreement.

According to Jennifer Goodspeed’s plea agreement, an FBI undercover investigation identified a social media file-sharing platform, which was knowingly accessing, importing, and maintaining video files that depicted the sadistic sexual exploitation, torture, and abuse of a toddler. Joshua Goodspeed was linked to an account on this social media site.

On June 16, 2012, the FBI executed a search warrant at the Goodspeeds’ residence. Federal agents seized Joshua Goodspeed’s iPhone, laptop and one computer hard drive, and interviewed both defendants. According to the plea agreement, Joshua and Jennifer Goodspeed admitted they took nude photos of two child victims.

Jennifer Goodspeed told investigators she sometimes sent some of the photos to her husband via cell phone or email while he was traveling.

Forensic examiners found hundreds of images of child pornography on the devices seized by agents, including photos of the two child victims that were produced by the Goodspeeds.

Under federal statutes, Joshua Goodspeed is subject a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 70 years in federal prison without parole. Jennifer Goodspeed is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 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 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.

Under the terms of her plea agreements, Jennifer Goodspeed must pay $5,000 in restitution to each of 12 victims, or $3,000 to each victim if paid within 30 days of the sentencing hearing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, 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 Olathe, Kansas, man who led police officers on a high-speed chase down a runway at the downtown airport pleaded guilty in federal court today to disrupting airport operations as well as illegally possessing a firearm.

Efren Torres-Rodriguez, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of damaging or disrupting an international airport and one count of being a felon and an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers were notified of a suspicious car, a Dodge Charger, parked near a gate at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on Feb. 1, 2022. When officers arrived, they found Torres-Rodriguez passed out in the driver’s seat of the running car. Officers turned off the car and opened the door, which woke up Torres-Rodriguez.

Officers ordered Torres-Rodriguez out of the car, but he refused. Instead, Torres-Rodriguez started the vehicle. An officer discharged his taser as Torres-Rodriguez drove away. Officers pursued Torres-Rodriguez, who crashed through the gate to the airfield. Torres-Rodriguez drove at speeds up to 100 miles per hour down the airport runway, with officers in pursuit. Torres-Rodriguez drove on a tarmac on the west side of the airfield. When he attempted to cross over the airstrip into a grassy area, his vehicle became inoperable.

Officers removed Torres-Rodriguez from the vehicle after he refused to get out, and placed him under arrest. Officers found a clear plastic bag in his pants pocket that contained 4.6 grams of methamphetamine.

When officers searched Torres-Rodriguez’s vehicle, they found a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, which were both empty of ammunition, under the driver’s seat. They also found several rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Torres-Rodriguez has prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm with a prior violent offense, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for robbery.

Torres-Rodriguez was interviewed by law enforcement officials and admitted to using methamphetamine every other day and to smoking marijuana daily since he was 15 years old.

As a result of Torres-Rodriguez’s actions, the airport’s activities were significantly disrupted. For approximately 40 minutes, operations at the airport were closed and planes were not allowed to land or take off. Torres-Rodriguez’s further interfered with the operations at the airport as two aircraft had delayed departures, one aircraft had a delayed arrival and had to remain airborne for approximately 50 minutes, one aircraft had to cancel its flight and one aircraft did not depart. Torres-Rodriguez destroyed the gate and caused serious damage to the air navigation facility’s fence that is designed to keep both trespassers and animals away from the runways. In addition to disrupting the airport’s aviation services, Torres-Rodriguez’s actions endangered the safety of those utilizing the airport.

Under federal statutes, Torres-Rodriguez is subject to a sentence of up to 30 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 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), 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 Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing the firearm used in the fatal shooting of an Independence, Mo., firefighter during an altercation in a liquor store parking lot.

Ja’Von L. Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a machine gun. Taylor has been detained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.

By pleading guilty today, Taylor admitted he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber handgun, which had been converted to a machine gun. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Taylor has prior felony convictions for robbery and distributing marijuana.

According to court documents, Independence police officers were dispatched to Liquor Land, 11100 E. U.S. 40 Highway in Independence, on a reported shooting of an Independence firefighter on Oct. 6, 2022.  Taylor was located across the street and taken into custody.

Officers searched Taylor’s vehicle and found the Glock machine gun, a broken extended magazine, and a 15-round magazine. Taylor told investigators that he bought the gun from a guy off the street a few months ago for $500.

Under federal statutes, Taylor is subject to a sentence of up to 25 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 is scheduled on Aug. 3, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy that distributed 360 kilograms of methamphetamine in southern Missouri over a three-year period.

James W. Fithen, Jr., also known as “Boss,” 38, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 28 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fithen to pay a money judgment of $3.6 million, which represents a conservative estimate of the total proceeds he obtained from the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

On March 8, 2022, Fithen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of aiding and abetting the attempted possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Fithen acquired kilogram-level quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico and supplied co-defendants Patrick A. Dodson, also known as “Julio,” 42, of West Plains, and Samuel L. Pyatt, also known as “Tippy,” 47, of Pomona, Mo. Dodson and Pyatt then distributed methamphetamine to others during the three-year-long conspiracy that lasted from Feb. 28, 2017, to Feb. 28, 2020.

Fithen was arrested on Feb. 28, 2020, when he was intercepted by law enforcement in Arkansas on his return trip from buying methamphetamine in Texas. Officers found 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the back seat of the vehicle where Fithen was riding.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from conspirators who were supplied by Fithen. The Fithen drug-trafficking organization was selling 10 to 20 kilograms of methamphetamine per month, at a profit of approximately $100,000 per month.

According to court documents, Fithen put out a hit on co-defendant Christopher L. Dusenbury, 32, of Bowling Green, Mo., because Dusenbury stole seven pounds of methamphetamine from him.

Court documents report the impact such a large-scale drug-trafficking organization had on the small rural community in southern Missouri. The U.S. Census reported the population of West Plains was 11,986 in 2010. According to court documents, the amount of methamphetamine distributed by this drug-trafficking organization in one month alone was enough to supply four doses (0.25 grams) of methamphetamine to every man, woman, and child in the community.

In 2016, law enforcement officers in Howell County, Mo., reported 244 known violent and property crime offenses to the FBI. By 2020, that number had nearly doubled to 471.

Fithen is the twelfth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Dodson was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison without parole. Pyatt was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Dusenbury was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.

Megan L. Neal, also known as “Squirrel,” 39, of West Plains, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison without parole.  Bradley J. Russell, 58, of West Plains, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Bolinda J. Gleghorn, 60, of West Plains, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole. Kevin L. Moss, 49, of West Plains, was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison without parole. Barbra L. Newton, 44, of West Plains, was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole. Brady T. Smith, 27, of West Plains, was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole. Austin L. Velarde, 27, of West Plains, was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Leslie O. Collins, 48, of West Plains, was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole.

Chelsea B. Cloven, 30, of West Plains, the final defendant remaining to be sentenced, pleaded guilty on July 5, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the South Central Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Howell, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the West Plains, Mo., Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, the Fulton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, and the Arkansas 16th Judicial Drug Task Force.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The owner of a Peculiar, Mo., business was sentenced in federal court today for tax evasion.

Jason Rigoli, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Rigoli to pay $138,455 in restitution.

On Aug. 2, 2022, Rigoli pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. Rigoli, who has owned and operated Granite Construction Services, LLC, since 2006, admitted that he has not filed a federal personal, business, or employment tax return for eight years, from 2013 to 2020. Rigoli also failed to pay state income taxes, state employment taxes, workers’ compensation taxes and unemployment taxes.

As part of his scheme, Rigoli used his business bank accounts for all his personal expenses. Rigoli used proceeds of his tax fraud to pay for travel, restaurant meals, and liquor.

Rigoli falsely told IRS agents that he always paid his employees by check. Rigoli also falsely told IRS agents that he paid his employees “by 1099,” when in fact, Rigoli often paid employees with cash and filed no Forms W-2 or Forms 1099 for his employees.

According to court documents, special agents with IRS-Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at Granite Construction Services. Agents recovered false returns, which were not filed with the IRS, and were labelled with notes such as, “Fake/High,” “2015 Completed F Taxes,” and “Real 2014.”

Rigoli told the agents an accountant that has an office in his same building would soon be preparing and filing all his personal and business tax returns at one time. He said if they had shown up just a month later, he would have had all his taxes filed. He said he was supposed to meet with the accountant that Friday regarding his tax returns. Agents later interviewed the accountant and she contradicted almost everything Rigoli said. The accountant said Rigoli was not a client, that she wasn’t preparing his returns, and that he had no scheduled appointment with her.

According to court documents, Rigoli applied for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration for the same business but under two different names. He received a $150,000 loan for Granite Construction Services on Aug. 4, 2020. He applied for a second EIDL loan on Aug. 5, 2020, under the business name Patriot Construction Management, a shell company. For this second, fraudulent, loan, Rigoli used his parents’ address as the business address and the same employees as he used for his first EIDL loan. This loan was not granted by the Small Business Administration.

Rigoli kept very few books and records related to his business. To calculate taxes owing, the IRS reconstructed the business’s books using bank records and documents recovered from the business. Because Rigoli often used cash, because he comingled his accounts, and because the IRS gave him the benefit of the doubt on business expenses and depreciation, the tax loss is relatively low - $110,819 total from 2016-2019. When federal employment taxes are added, the total federal tax loss is $121,007. The Missouri state tax loss of $17,448 brings the total tax loss to $138,455.

In July 2022, Rigoli filed for tax years 2017 and 2018, so they were several years late. Rigoli reported taxes due and owing for those years. From 2014 to the date of sentencing, Rigoli paid just $139 in federal or state income or employment taxes.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national who was arrested for driving while intoxicated has been sentenced in federal court for illegally entering the United States for the third time.

Juan Antonio Tejeda-Quiroz, 42, residing in Grandview, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, March 1, to three years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 22, 2022, Tejeda-Quiroz pleaded guilty to one count of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported following a conviction for a crime of violence.

On April 30, 2022, around 2:30 a.m., a white Buick Century driven by Tejeda-Quiroz reversed out of a driveway and crashed into a marked Grandview police patrol vehicle parked on the 13000 block of 15th Street in Grandview. Tejeda-Quiroz was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Tejeda-Quiroz, a citizen and national of Mexico, illegally entered the United States in February 1994. On Sept. 6, 2001, Tejeda-Quiroz was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of arson. He threw a firebomb inside a car occupied by his wife, causing her to jump from the moving car that caught fire and exploded, and then used his car to threaten her. He was sentenced to five years of probation and received a deferred sentence. On Dec. 4, 2001, Tejeda-Quiroz was deported to Mexico.

Tejeda-Quiroz illegally entered the United States a second time. He was arrested for burglary of a vehicle on Dec. 8, 2002. On March 17, 2006, he was arrested for illegally reentering the United States, which violated the terms of his probation. His probation was revoked on June 16, 2006, and he was sentenced to six years and six months in prison. On July 13, 2012, Tejeda-Quiroz was again deported to Mexico.

Tejeda-Quiroz illegally reentered the United States a third time in 2018. On May 25, 2018, he was arrested in Lawrence, Kansas for driving under the influence. He was arrested in Liberty, Mo., in July 2021 for driving without a valid license and no insurance. He was arrested in Olathe, Kan., in March 2022 for driving without a license.

Tejeda-Quiroz used alias names, according to court documents, presumably to avoid detection. Tejeda-Quiroz has used controlled substances, including cocaine, and heroin, snorting around one-half gram of heroin a day up until his arrest, according to court documents.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the Grandview, Mo., Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for robbing a Joplin, Mo., bank with what appeared to be a handgun after he had just robbed a bank in Kansas earlier the same day.

Leland Scott Graham, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to eight years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 2, 2022, Graham pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. Graham admitted he stole $24,478 from Great Southern Bank in Joplin on July 19, 2021. Graham displayed what appeared to be a handgun and told one of the tellers, “This is a gun, do you want me to shoot you?”  He then turned to another employee and said, “Hurry up or I will shoot you.” Graham later told investigators he put a black-handled screwdriver in his waistband so that the tellers would think it was a firearm.

As he left the bank, Graham dropped more than $5,000 on the floor, which was recovered by law enforcement.

Several hours before he robbed the bank in Joplin, Graham had robbed Landmark National Bank in Louisburg, Kansas. Surveillance images from the banks indicated the same suspect was involved in both robberies. When the Joplin Police Department released surveillance images to the media and requested the public’s assistance to identify the bank robbery suspect, investigators received a tip identifying Graham. Investigators used Graham’s cell phone to trace his location to Kansas City, Mo.

On July 20, 2021, Kansas City, Mo., police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Graham fled from officers in a Dodge van, leading them on a pursuit at speeds up to 95 miles per hour through residential neighborhoods. Graham stopped the van he was driving and, while trying to run from the police, tripped and fell, breaking his arm. Graham had almost $2,000 in his pocket. Officers searched the van and recovered almost $9,000.

After he was arrested, Graham told officers he had been on a five-day meth binge and had just taken $50 worth of crack cocaine. Graham told investigators he used some of the money stolen from Great Southern Bank to purchase the van that he was driving when officers attempted to stop him in Kansas City.

Graham has two prior felony convictions for bank robbery. He was convicted in 2004 of robbing Great Southern Bank in Joplin and First State Bank of Joplin and sentenced to 20 years in state prison. He was paroled on Jan. 6, 2020, and less than a year later stole a truck. He was sentenced for felony theft on Jan. 20, 2021, and while on probation seven months later committed the two bank robberies in Joplin and Louisburg on July 19, 2021. State charges remain pending in the Louisburg bank robbery.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Miami County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who was arrested last night during the police standoff in the 2300 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard has been charged in federal court for offenses unrelated to the standoff.

Jimmie R. Lewis, Jr., 50, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Lewis remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing pending a detention hearing on Monday, March 6.

Today’s federal criminal complaint charges Lewis with 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. These offenses allegedly occurred on Nov. 7, 2021.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Lewis was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck eastbound on 23rd Street in Independence, Mo., on Nov. 7, 2021. Due to the truck matching the description of a stolen vehicle, an Independence police officer attempted to conduct a vehicle check. Lewis, however, led officers in a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds up to 100 miles per hour, passing other vehicles and running stop signs. Lewis’s vehicle struck a curb near Norledge and Evanston in Independence, flattening a tire. Lewis fled on foot but was apprehended.

Lewis, who had $2,084 in his pocket, was carrying a backpack while running from police officers. Inside the backpack, officers found a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun and nine plastic bags that contained a total of 395.64 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also found 19.17 grams of methamphetamine under the passenger’s seat of the Ford F-150.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Lewis has multiple prior felony convictions, the most recent being two counts of assault and one count of resisting/fleeing arrest in a Jackson County, Mo., case.

The charges contained in this complaint 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Baker. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine after leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase through several neighborhoods, past two schools, and into a park.

Michael A. Baldwin, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. Baldwin was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. Today’s sentence also reflects an enhancement for recklessly creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person in the course of fleeing from a law enforcement officer.

On June 2, 2022, Baldwin pleaded guilty (a few days before his trial was scheduled to begin) to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin, one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.

Baldwin was arrested on Nov. 18, 2019, when a confidential source met him at the Peachtree Restaurant on Eastwood Trafficway in Kansas City, Mo., and delivered cocaine and heroin from co-defendant Darey Enrique Salcido-Dominguez, 39, of Mesa, Arizona.

As the confidential source left the area after delivering the cocaine and heroin to Baldwin, law enforcement officers approached Baldwin in police vehicles with their emergency equipment activated. Baldwin, who was driving a 2007 Land Rover, took off at a high rate of speed, fleeing from the officers at speeds up to 70 miles per hour through several neighborhoods and past George Washington Carver Dual Language Elementary School and George Melcher Elementary School. Baldwin ran stop signs and drove through the green space of Vineyard Park before he wrecked his vehicle in a wooded area. Baldwin attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.

When officers searched the Land Rover they found several bundles that contained a total of approximately 3.27 kilograms of heroin and approximately 1.19 kilograms of cocaine.

On the same day as the delivery to Baldwin, the confidential source also had been instructed by Salcido-Dominguez to deliver three kilograms of cocaine to co-defendant Kelvin R. Williams, 53, of Kansas City, Mo., one kilogram of cocaine to co-defendant Raleigh G. Austin, Jr., 53, of Kansas City, Mo., and two kilograms of cocaine to co-defendant Terry D. Finch, 53, of Kansas City, Mo. Finch also gave the confidential source $2,000.

According to court documents, the confidential source began cooperating with law enforcement after he was stopped by the Kansas Highway Patrol on Nov. 14, 2019. The trooper seized a duffel bag from the vehicle of the confidential source, which contained $269,020. He told federal investigators he worked as a courier for Salcido-Dominguez and had been transporting nine to 18 kilograms of cocaine and black tar heroin every two weeks for the past eight months. He also transported the illicit proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy back to Salcido-Dominguez. He told investigators that Baldwin typically received two or three kilograms of heroin every two weeks.

Baldwin has a prior felony conviction for second-degree murder and a prior felony conviction for aggravated robbery/aggravated assault for an armed robbery in which an employee of the victim business was shot.

Baldwin is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Williams was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison without parole. Finch was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Austin was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole.

Salcido-Dominguez pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and will be sentenced on April 5, 2023.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin and Webb City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.

Milan Alexander, 42, who maintains residences in both Joplin and Webb City, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Alexander on Feb. 3, 2023.

Today’s indictment alleges that Alexander possessed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, all with the intent to distribute, on Feb. 2, 2023.

The indictment also charges Alexander with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Alexander was allegedly in possession of two Glock 9mm pistols, two Century Arms Mini Draco 7.62-caliber pistols, a Springfield Armory .45-caliber pistol, a Heckler & Koch 9mm pistol, and a Brigade multi-caliber pistol on Feb. 2, 2023.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Alexander has three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and two prior felony convictions for resisting arrest, as well as prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated fleeing from law enforcement, possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver, and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, detectives with the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team found a total of 649 grams of fentanyl, two firearms, and a box that contained 750 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 320 rounds of 7.62 ammunition in Alexander’s Joplin residence. Detectives also found a duffel bag that contained six firearms at Alexander’s Webb City residence.

Following the execution of search warrants at both of his residences, law enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop to arrest Alexander. Alexander led officers on a high-speed pursuit until his vehicle was disabled by tire deflation devices deployed by Seneca, Mo., police officers. Alexander then fled on foot but, after an extensive search with the assistance of a police support dog, was found hiding in a shed.

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 Cameron A. Beaver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Webb City, Mo., Police Department, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Seneca, Mo., Police Department, and the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s 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.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former Missouri state representative was sentenced in federal court today for a nearly $900,000 COVID-19 fraud scheme, as well as a separate $200,000 fraud scheme in which she made false claims about a fake stem cell treatment marketed through her clinics in southern Missouri, and for illegally providing prescription drugs to clients of those clinics.

“This disgraced health care professional exploited her patients, some with terminal illnesses, who came to her for medical care,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “This disgraced former public official exploited her constituents as the community struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic by stealing public funds. She lied to her patients, to her community, and to federal agents. Today’s sentence holds her accountable for her fraud and deceit.”

Patricia “Tricia” Ashton Derges, 64, of Nixa, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to six years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Derges to pay $500,600 in restitution to her victims.

“Derges exploited her position as an elected official and a medical professional to benefit herself financially with complete disregard, to not only her constituents, but to the oath she took as a health care professional to do no harm,” said Charles Dayoub, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Kansas City. “She not only fraudulently received nearly $300,000 in CARES Act funds, but also deceived patients by marketing fake stem cell treatment and illegally provided drugs to clients of her clinics. Her actions were a betrayal of trust, eroding the very core of our confidence in a system we rely on and damaging the public’s trust not only in our elected officials but in our health care system.”

“This official violated the trust of her constituents and her duties as an elected official, by putting personal profit before her community's health and well-being,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Her sentencing demonstrates that there are consequences for stealing taxpayer dollars and endangering public health. HHS-OIG will continue to investigate allegations of federal health care fraud and to ensure that these funds are used for their intended purposes.”

On June 28, 2022, Derges was found guilty at trial of 10 counts of wire fraud, 10 counts of distributing drugs over the internet without a valid prescription, and two counts of making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.

Derges was elected in November 2020 as a Missouri state representative in District 140 (Christian County) and served one term. Derges, who was never a physician, surrendered her assistant physician’s license on June 29, 2023. Derges formerly operated three for-profit Ozark Valley Medical Clinic locations in Springfield, Ozark, and Branson, Mo. Derges also operated the non-profit corporation Lift Up Someone Today, Inc., with a medical and dental clinic in Springfield.

COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

Derges was convicted of three counts of wire fraud related to her attempt to fraudulently receive nearly $900,000 in CARES Act funds. Derges actually was awarded $296,574 in CARES Act funds for Lift Up, although Lift Up did not provide any COVID-19 testing services to its patients. In fact, Lift Up’s medical clinic closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed from March to June 2020.

Derges sought CARES Act funding for COVID-19 testing that had been provided, and already paid for, at her for-profit Ozark Valley Medical Clinic. Derges requested reimbursement for $379,294 in COVID-19 testing and related expenses, and future funding in the amount of $503,350. In total, Derges applied for $882,644 from the CARES Act Relief Fund on Lift Up’s behalf.

Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020, which provided $150 billion to states, tribal governments, and units of local government. Missouri was allocated approximately $2.3 billion. Missouri allocated approximately $34 million in CARES Act funds to Greene County. To administer the CARES Act funds it received, the Greene County Commission created the CARES Act Relief Fund to “promote recovery by funding programs and services that support the needs of those impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.” An advisory council of 30 citizen volunteers was appointed to review funding requests and make funding recommendations to the Greene County Commission.

Derges claimed in her application to the Greene County CARES Act Relief Fund that Lift Up provided COVID-19 testing and she sought reimbursement for “COVID-19 eligible expenses” that Lift Up had incurred. To support her claim, Derges provided invoices totaling $296,574 from Dynamic DNA for more than 3,000 COVID-19 laboratory tests. Derges submitted the Dynamic DNA invoices as Lift Up expenditures, although they were actually for testing done at Derges’s for-profit Ozark Valley Medical Clinic.

Lift Up, a non-profit charity, and Ozark Valley Medical Clinic, a for-profit corporation, are separate legal entities. Ozark Valley Medical Center had already received payment from its clients of approximately $517,000 for these COVID-19 tests. Ozark Valley Medical Center charged clients, patients, or their patients’ employers approximately $167 per sample for its COVID-19 testing services. Derges concealed from Greene County that these COVID-19 tests had already been paid for by other payors.

In December 2020, the Greene County Commission awarded Lift Up $296,574 in CARES Act funding based upon Lift Up’s fraudulent application and the Dynamic DNA invoices Derges had submitted. Derges deposited the check into Lift Up’s bank account, then transferred the funds into Ozark Valley Medical Center’s bank account.

Derges provided several more invoices from Dynamic DNA to Greene County later in December 2020 to further support her application for Lift Up, although the invoices were actually for testing done for clients at Ozark Valley Medical Center, raising the total to $589,143 for 6,177 COVID-19 tests. Derges concealed from Greene County that Ozark Valley Medical Center already had been paid approximately $1 million by clients, patients, or their patients’ employers, for these COVID-19 tests.

Stem Cell Fraud Scheme

Derges also was convicted of seven counts of wire fraud related to a nearly $200,000 fraud scheme, which lasted from December 2018 to May 2020. Derges marketed a stem cell treatment that actually utilized amniotic fluid that did not contain any stem cells. The federal indictment charged her with defrauding four specific victims, each of whom testified during the trial.

Derges exclusively obtained amniotic fluid from the University of Utah, which she marketed under the name Regenerative Biologics. Derges advertised Ozark Valley Medical Clinic as a “Leader in … Regenerative Medicine,” including stem cells, and marketed her “stem cell” practice through seminars, media interviews, and social media. Derges made similar claims in personal consultations.

In fact, however, the amniotic fluid Derges administered to her patients did not contain mesenchymal stem cells, or any other stem cells. The amniotic fluid she obtained from the University of Utah was a sterile filtered amniotic fluid allograft (a tissue graft comprised of human amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid components derived from placental tissue). The amniotic fluid allograft was “acellular,” meaning it did not contain any cells, including stem cells.

Despite being told by the University of Utah that the University of Utah’s amniotic fluid allograft was “acellular” and did not contain mesenchymal stem cells, Derges continued to tell her patients and the public that the amniotic fluid allograft contained stem cells.

Derges administered amniotic fluid, which she falsely claimed contained stem cells, to patients who suffered from, among other things, tissue damage, kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Lyme disease, and urinary incontinence. In an April 11, 2020, Facebook post Derges wrote of amniotic fluid allograft: “This amazing treatment stands to provide a potential cure for COVID-19 patients that is safe and natural.”

The University of Utah sold its amniotic fluid allograft to Derges for approximately $244 per milliliter and $438 for two milliliters. Derges charged her patients $950 to $1,450 per milliliter. In total, Derges’s patients paid her approximately $191,815 for amniotic fluid that did not contain stem cells.

Controlled Substances Act

Derges also was convicted of 10 counts of distributing Oxycodone and Adderall over the internet without valid prescriptions. Derges, without conducting in-person medical evaluations of the patients, wrote electronic prescriptions for Oxycodone and Adderall for patients and transmitted them to pharmacies over the internet.

Because none of the assistant physicians whom Derges employed at Ozark Valley Medical Clinic could prescribe Schedule II controlled substances, it was the standard practice of the assistant physicians to see a patient and later communicate to Derges the controlled substances they wanted her to prescribe to their patients. Derges, without conducting an in-person medical evaluation of the patients as required by federal law, wrote electronic prescriptions for the patients and transmitted the prescriptions over the internet to pharmacies.

False Statements

Derges also was convicted of two counts of making false statements to federal agents investigating this case in May 2020.

Derges told agents that the amniotic fluid allograft that she used in her practice contained mesenchymal stem cells, which she knew was false. Derges also told federal agents that she had not treated a patient for urinary incontinence with amniotic fluid allograft, which she knew was false.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Kempf and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the FBI, Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the DEA and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Ava, Mo., man previously indicted for producing child pornography after photos of the child victim’s sexual assault were discovered at his former residence now faces additional charges that include victimizing a second child.

Harold Lloyd Blair, Jr., 66, was charged in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Today’s indictment replaces the original indictment returned on Dec. 6, 2022, and includes two additional counts.

Today’s superseding indictment retains the original charge against Blair for using a minor to produce child pornography from Dec. 24, 2010, to Dec. 23, 2014. It also includes a second count, involving another child victim allegedly used by Blair to produce child pornography from Oct. 17, 2013, to Oct. 16, 2014.

The indictment also charges Blair with one count of possessing child pornography.

The investigation began on Dec. 2, 2022, when workers employed by Douglas County, Mo., were tearing down Blair’s former residence after he sold it to the county. The workers discovered a filing cabinet that contained images of child pornography and contacted the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

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 Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department, with assistance from the Douglas County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney.

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. – An Ava, Mo., man previously indicted for producing child pornography after photos of the child victim’s sexual assault were discovered at his former residence now faces additional charges that include victimizing a second child.

Harold Lloyd Blair, Jr., 66, was charged in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield. Today’s indictment replaces the original indictment returned on Dec. 6, 2022, and includes two additional counts.

Today’s superseding indictment retains the original charge against Blair for using a minor to produce child pornography from Dec. 24, 2010, to Dec. 23, 2014. It also includes a second count, involving another child victim allegedly used by Blair to produce child pornography from Oct. 17, 2013, to Oct. 16, 2014.

The indictment also charges Blair with one count of possessing child pornography.

The investigation began on Dec. 2, 2022, when workers employed by Douglas County, Mo., were tearing down Blair’s former residence after he sold it to the county. The workers discovered a filing cabinet that contained images of child pornography and contacted the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

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 Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Douglas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department, with assistance from the Douglas County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney.

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 ramming into two law enforcement vehicles while attempting to flee while in possession of methamphetamine and firearms.

Anthony M. Quinones, also known as “Droopy,” 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 19 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Quinones to 17 years in prison for the charges on which he was convicted, plus an additional two years in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release in an earlier, unrelated federal case.

On Feb. 3, 2022, Quinones pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly resisting a federal law enforcement officer, one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

U.S. Marshals Service deputies tracked Quinones, who was being sought for absconding from federal supervision, to a Quality Inn on Nov. 13, 2018. Quinones left the hotel with two females. As he approached his vehicle, deputies used their vehicles to attempt to pin in Quinones’s vehicle. Quinones hopped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and attempted to flee from the parking lot. Quinones accelerated his vehicle and crashed into the two vehicles occupied by deputies, causing significant damage. Quinones fled and eventually crashed through a gas meter and into a light pole. He got out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. As he fled, he pulled a loaded Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol from his waistband just before he was tackled to the ground. Quinones continued to struggle with the deputies but was successfully taken into custody.

Deputies found approximately one ounce of methamphetamine and $3,500 in Quinones’s jacket pockets. Deputies searched Quinones’s vehicle and found 10 ounces of methamphetamine hidden in a stereo box on the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle. Deputies interviewed the two women who left the hotel with Quinones, who told them he was up in a hotel room using methamphetamine with them. They also said Quinones left a gun in the hotel room. The gun, a Taurus 9mm pistol, was recovered by law enforcement officers.

At the time of his arrest, Quinones was on federal supervised release following his 2004 conviction and incarceration for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, Quinones is a longtime gang member and drug trafficker with violent tendencies. While in custody in this case, he participated in fights and was caught with homemade weapons.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to commit nine armed robberies of local businesses in the summer of 2018, as well as an armed robbery in which a convenience store employee was beaten and then fatally shot.

Joe Lee Nichols, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Thursday, Feb. 22, to 45 years in federal prison without parole.

On March 11, 2022, Nichols pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, three counts of robbery, and three counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Additionally, federal prosecutors used evidence of Nichols’s involvement in a tenth, uncharged armed robbery in which a person was killed as relevant conduct for determining his sentence.

Nichols admitted that he was part of a conspiracy to rob nine businesses at gunpoint between June 1 and July 18, 2018. Nichols also admitted that he was directly involved in the armed robbery of Boost Mobile, 5218 E. Truman Road, on June 12, 2018; the armed robbery of Arrowhead Inn, 6006 E.  31st Street, on July 2, 2018; and the armed robbery of Wood Springs Suites, 11301 Colorado Avenue, on July 14, 2018.

The government presented evidence at Nichols’s sentencing hearing that he was also involved in a tenth, uncharged, armed robbery of Inner-City Oil convenience store, 5901 Swope Parkway, on July 16, 2018. The court determined there was sufficient evidence of Nichols’s involvement to consider the robbery as relevant conduct, which impacted the court’s sentencing decision.

Video surveillance evidence introduced during yesterday’s sentencing hearing indicated that Nichols pointed a handgun at an employee of Inner-City Oil, who resisted and engaged in a struggle for Nichols’s firearm. Nichols fired his gun multiple times before the employee fell to the floor. The employee then retrieved a handgun and began to fire back at Nichols. Nichols began to stomp and kick at the head and body of the employee, who was still lying on the floor. The employee lost his firearm, which was recovered by Nichols’s accomplice, who then used it to also shoot the store clerk. When they were unable to access the cash register, Nichols and his accomplice left the store. The employee can be seen on the surveillance video, still moving while lying on the floor, until eventually becoming motionless when he died from his injuries. A witness who saw their car leaving the area and discovered the body of the employee immediately called 911.

The surveillance video depicts Nichols leaning on an ice cream freezer with his left hand while assaulting the employee on the floor. Investigators determined that a palm print found on the ice cream freezer belonged to Nichols.  Nichols was also identified by his appearance in other robbery videos and by several witnesses who viewed the Inner-City Oil video.

Nichols is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case. One additional co-defendant has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing and two other defendants remain set for trial in May 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and agents and task force officers of the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using six stolen identities to fraudulently file 71 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in four states.

Bridgette Ford, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to four years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Ford to pay $66,684 in restitution.

On July 28, 2022, Ford pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of theft of government money, one count of misuse of a Social Security number, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Ford received SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) from May 2018 through January 2020. During that time, she submitted six fraudulent applications for Missouri SNAP benefits using the names, Social Security numbers, and other identity information stolen from six victims. She listed her own email address and phone number on each fraudulent application, and she claimed the applicants were homeless. She directed all communication from the Department of Social Services regarding the fraudulent applications to be sent to her home address. When state officials required applicant interviews, she either assumed the identity she had stolen and conducted the interview herself, or she instructed one of her acquaintances to do it.

The Department of Social Services approved all six fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits. When Ford received the fraudulent EBT cards for the six accounts, she sold them for cash (or gave them to others to sell for cash) to buyers who then used the benefits on the cards. After they used the EBT cards to make purchases, they returned the cards to Ford.

Ford filed 71 SNAP benefit applications in four different states. She fraudulently received at least $21,546 in SNAP benefits between July 2018 through November 2020 under her own name in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. In addition, Ford fraudulently filed multiple applications for SNAP benefits under the names of others in those states and subsequently received $45,138 in additional benefits based on those applications.

Ford also concealed a disqualifying prior felony drug conviction in her own Missouri SNAP application  and received SNAP benefits to which she was not entitled. Ford’s conduct resulted in a total SNAP benefits loss of $66,684.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten. It was investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Services and the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a carjacking.

Kerri J. Seaboldt, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years in federal prison without parole.

On April 1, 2022, Seaboldt pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Seaboldt admitted that she aided and abetted two co-defendants to steal a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro at gunpoint on July 14, 2020.

In the early morning hours of July 14, 2020, Seaboldt and co-defendants Destiny J. White, 34, of Blue Springs, Mo., and Charles V. Bai, 29, of Independence, Mo., executed a scheme to steal the Camero. The victim of the carjacking, identified in court documents as “K.B.,” drove White in his Camaro to an alleyway in Kansas City, Mo. White told K.B. they were picking up Seaboldt because she was having an argument with her boyfriend. Seaboldt was on the phone with Bai, pretending to have an argument as K.B. and White stood by and waited.

Bai then walked into the alleyway, wielding a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine. Bai pointed the firearm at K.B. and ordered him to get out of the Camaro. Bai then got into the Camaro and drove it away.

At approximately 2:20 a.m., law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call regarding the carjacking and contacted K.B. K.B. requested location information for his vehicle using OnStar. Bai later fled from officers in the stolen vehicle, which he ultimately wrecked.

Bai was sentenced on April 8, 2022, to 13 years in federal prison without parole. White was sentenced on Nov. 17, 2022, to three years and four months in federal prison without parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Operation LeGend

Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Farley, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexually assaulting a 3-year-old victim to produce child pornography and distribute it to others through the Kik application.

Andrew J. McCardie, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. McCardie remains in federal custody without bond pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

McCardie communicated with individuals through the Kik application beginning in January 2022, using a screen name to indicate he was willing and able to produce child pornography and distribute to other persons. McCardie produced 19 images and videos of child pornography involving a 3-year-old child victim on Feb. 11 and 12, 2022. Most of these were created live, meaning he was recording himself actively sexually abusing the child victim while communicating with other persons over Kik, and sending those images and videos to them during the abuse.

On March 5, 2022, McCardie created another live video during his sexual abuse of the child victim. McCardie didn’t know he was communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer through Kik. McCardie told the undercover officer he had been “doing these requests on Kik for a couple years now” and discussed how to sexually abuse a child. During this conversation, McCardie sent the undercover officer a screenshot of a chat he was having with the Kik user he produced the video for, in order to prove he had created the video live.

On March 6, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McCardie’s residence. The entry team attempted to take control of McCardie near the entrance of the residence but he resisted, initially holding a firearm as officers entered. McCardie was brought out into the yard, where he continued to resist before being handcuffed and placed under arrest. McCardie attempted to hide his iPhone in the bedroom closet, but officers found the phone and seized it in order to conduct a forensic investigation.

McCardie’s Kik account included 218 images and videos of child pornography. McCardie sent 58 separate videos and images of child pornography to other Kik users, and had received more than 200 images and videos of child pornography from other Kik users between Jan. 2 and March 7, 2022.

Under federal statutes, McCardie is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 80 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 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."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Mo., man who moved to Mexico and lived under another name, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to producing child pornography.

Wyatt Christopher Maxwell, also known as “Louis Whitaker,” 23, was charged in a five-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 7, 2023. That indictment has been unsealed and made public upon Maxwell’s arrest in Mexico on Feb. 14, 2023, and initial court appearance in the Central District of California (in Los Angeles, Calif.) on Feb. 16, 2023.

Maxwell lived in Kansas City, Mo., at the time of the alleged offenses, but afterward moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he went by the name “Louis Whitaker” as a cabaret singer.

The federal indictment alleges that Maxwell used a minor victim to produce child pornography between July 31, 2020, and Feb. 1, 2021. The indictment also alleges that Maxwell transported the minor victim across state lines from Kansas to Missouri to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Maxwell is also charged with two counts of distributing child pornography over the internet and one count of possessing 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 Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Braymer, Mo., man has been convicted by a federal trial jury of his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Jason M. Potter, 40, was found guilty on Thursday, Feb. 16, of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Potter and co-defendant Daniel Dryden, 51, of Clinton, Mo., participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from May 11 to July 15, 2020. Dryden pleaded guilty to the same charges on Jan. 13, 2023.

Lee’s Summit, Mo., police officers saw Potter’s black 2009 Nissan Maxima parked in a motel parking lot 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.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about 40 minutes before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, Feb. 13.

Under federal statutes, Potter and Dryden each are 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 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 Maureen A. Brackett and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney 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. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who called 911 emergency assistance for his mother pleaded guilty 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,” 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs 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.

Under federal statutes, Cummings 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 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. – A Vietnamese national has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing methamphetamine to distribute and a firearm.

Hon Chau, 44, no known address, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Monday, Feb. 13, to 14 years and two months in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 16, 2022, Chau 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.

Chau was arrested on Feb. 27, 2020, when he drove a Chrysler 200 and parked in the driveway of a Springfield residence while law enforcement offices were executing a search warrant. Officers ordered Chau to get out of his vehicle, but he refused. Instead, Chau backed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles parked behind him. Officers broke out the driver’s side window and attempted to remove Chau from his vehicle, but Chau continued to resist and reach towards his right hip. Officers used a Taser and were able to get him out of the vehicle. Chau had a loaded IMEZ .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol in a holster on his right hip. This pistol had been reported as stolen.

Chau had a baggie that contained 287 grams of pure methamphetamine inside his sweater pocket. Officers found $6,943 in cash inside Chau’s vehicle.

Chau, who had a dozen prior state felony convictions prior to this federal case, had been released from the Missouri Department of Corrections less than a year earlier.

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 Springfield, Mo., Police Department.