Western District of Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A man who led police officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen car driving the wrong way on Interstate 70 was charged in federal court today with illegally possessing several firearms and more than two kilograms of methamphetamine.

Davon R. Williams, 28, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms, one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, Independence, Mo., police officers saw an orange Hyundai that had been reported as stolen parked on the west side of Hometown Studios, 14800 E. 42nd Street in Independence at approximately 10 a.m. Saturday, March 26. An officer placed a portable tire deflation device underneath the front passenger tire of the Hyundai to deflate the tire if someone attempted to leave in the vehicle. Officers kept the vehicle under surveillance until Williams got into the driver’s seat and a woman (who is not charged in this case) got into the front passenger’s seat. Williams was carrying a black zip bag and a white trash bag in one hand while shouldering a black backpack.

Police officers attempted to box in the Hyundai with their patrol cars, but Williams was able to flee from officers and circle around the parking lot, maneuvering through multiple parked vehicles as well as the police vehicles attempting to block him in. Williams made it to 42nd Street, where he began accelerating as police officers pursued him. Williams traveled to Noland Road before going onto the ramp to I-70, traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-70.

Due to the substantial public safety risk by Williams entering into oncoming traffic, officers terminated their pursuit. An officer saw the Hyundai farther down the interstate, in the grass, with Williams and the woman running from the vehicle. Williams was carrying a black backpack. The woman was caught and taken into custody.

Williams was found walking westbound next to U.S. 40 Highway and began running from officers. An Independence police sergeant deployed his Taser, which struck Williams in the left elbow, and Williams continued to run and jumped the guard rail under the I-70 bridge on the south side of U.S. 40 Highway. The police sergeant jumped the guard rail and grabbed Williams, who was trying to jump back on the highway. They struggled and Williams was taken into custody.

Officers searched Williams, who had $7,581 and .9 grams of crack cocaine in his pants pockets. The backpack, which was located nearby, contained an SAR Arms 9mm firearm, 314 grams of marijuana, 92.4 grams of cocaine, 4.6 grams of powder cocaine, a plastic sandwich bag with five 30-milligram Oxycodone pills, and a sandwich bag that contained multiple sandwich bags with various pills believed to be ecstasy. On the ground next to the backpack was a loaded FNS 9mm handgun.

Officers searched the stolen Hyundai, which had severe damage, including airbag deployment. Officers found an AR-15 style rifle with no serial number in the back seat, loaded with 27 rounds of 5.56 ammunition and an additional round chambered. A black duffle bag, also in the back seat, contained a freezer bag with 1.022 kilograms of methamphetamine, a freezer bag with 1.027 kilograms of methamphetamine, a freezer bag with 111 grams of methamphetamine, a freezer bag with 170 grams of methamphetamine, and six sandwich bags that each contained between 26 and 29 grams of marijuana. A large white trash bag that contained three bags with a total of 1.238 kilograms of marijuana was also in the back seat.

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 two prior felony convictions for the distribution, delivery, or manufacture of a controlled substance.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Foley. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties.

Luis Ortiz Rodriguez, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 7, 2021, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Howell, Greene, and Texas counties from Dec. 31, 2015, to June 21, 2019. Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Rodriguez admitted that he met co-defendant Jose I. Gonzales, 39, of West Plains, after being released from prison in March 2018. Rodriguez and Gonzales agreed to use Rodriguez’s source of supply and Gonzales’s connections in West Plains to distribute methamphetamine. Rodriguez paid $3,000 per pound to purchase methamphetamine in Oklahoma, which he transported to Missouri for distribution.

Rodriguez also admitted that he had almost a pound of methamphetamine on Jan. 4, 2019, but it was dumped shortly before law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on that day. When officers executed the search warrant, Rodriguez had left the house. The kitchen sink was full of ice and the faucet was running hot, which is a known tactic to dispose of drugs.

Officers contacted Rodriguez in the parking lot of the Casey’s General Store in West Plains as the house was being searched. Rodriguez told officers there was an electronic safe in the house, which contained a Taurus .410-caliber revolver loaded with two .45-caliber rounds and three shotgun rounds. Rodriguez provided the combination to open the safe and officers seized the firearm. Officers also seized a baggie that contained 1.64 grams of methamphetamine, one hydrocodone pill, additional ammunition, and drug paraphernalia from the master bedroom.

Law enforcement officers seized more than five kilograms of methamphetamine from co-defendant Shirley J. Hicks, 64, of West Plains, a leader of the conspiracy. When law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hicks’s residence on July 24, 2018, they found a red toolbox inside a shop/barn that contained six bags with a total of 5.627 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Inside a bedroom closet in the house, officers also found 12 bags with a total of 243 grams of pure methamphetamine inside a black leather bag, and a blue waterproof box that contained 122.892 grams of pure methamphetamine During the search, officers also found five handguns in the toolbox and five more firearms in the house. Officers also seized a total of $20,393, which Hicks admitted was proceeds from her distribution of methamphetamine. Rodriguez took over as a leader of the conspiracy following Hicks’ arrest.

Rodriguez is the seventh defendant to plead guilty and be sentenced in this case. Hicks was sentenced to 20 years and one month in federal prison without parole. Gonzalez was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Fontella J. Noose, 41, of Springfield, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Benny D. Griffin, 59, of West Plains, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Jordan W. Gutierrez, 27, of West Plains, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in federal prison without parole. Shaun M. Ross, 44, of West Plains, was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole.

Co-defendants Raymon F. Ortega, 65, of West Plains, and James E. Cooper, 55, of Mountain View, Mo., have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

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 Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Howell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the West Plains, Mo., Police Department, and the Mountain View, Mo., Police Department.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Drexel, Missouri, man has been convicted after shooting at law enforcement officers while fleeing a failed bank robbery.

Jacob Allen Monteer, 30, was found guilty following a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Monday, March 21, of one count of bank robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a drug user in possession of firearms. The court’s verdict was announced today. Monteer remains in federal custody without bond.

On Nov. 30, 2017, Monteer attempted to rob US Bank, 401 W. Newton in Versailles, Mo. Monteer, armed with a Springfield 9mm semi-automatic pistol, walked into the bank with a bandana across his face and demanded money at gunpoint. He jumped over the teller station and opened the teller drawer, but there was no money in the drawer. Monteer fled from the bank in a stolen pick-up truck.

As Monteer led law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit, he fired several shots at the police chief of Stover, Mo., who had set up a road block. Monteer then lost control of the stolen vehicle and crashed. He attempted to flee on foot, but was apprehended by the sheriff of Morgan County. During their struggle, Monteer was able to fire a round from the sheriff’s AR-15 .223-caliber rifle before being subdued.

Monteer later admitted to law enforcement officers that he was a drug addict and used methamphetamine on a daily basis. Officers searched his vehicle and found drug paraphernalia.

Under federal statutes, Monteer is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 27 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 Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the FBI, the Morgan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Stover, Mo., Police Department, and the Versailles, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Trenton, Missouri, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Grundy County, Mo., and elsewhere.

Troy Lee Palmer, 24, and Dallas W. Hughs, 26, were charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury on March 1, 2022. That indictment has been unsealed following the arrests of Palmer and Hughs. Palmer, who was arrested yesterday, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on March 28, 2022. Hughs is not eligible for bond as he was already in state custody on separate case.

The federal indictment alleges that Palmer and Hughs participated in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl since Oct. 27, 2020.

In addition to the conspiracy, Palmer is charged with one count of possessing fentanyl to distribute in Grundy County on Dec. 8, 2020, and one count of possessing several firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes. Palmer allegedly possessed a Cricket .22-caliber bolt-action rifle, a Ross .22-caliber rifle, a Ross .410-gauge shotgun, a Ruger 410-gauge shotgun, a Hiawatha 12-gauge shotgun, and a Ruger .223-caliber rifle on Dec. 8, 2020.

Hughs is also charged with three counts of distributing fentanyl in Grundy County on separate occasions between Aug. 23 and Sept. 13, 2021.

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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Bracket. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Grundy County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Trenton, Mo., Police Department, the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Missouri, man has been charged in federal court after child pornography was found on the cell phone he carried into a secure area at the U.S. Department of Energy national security campus in Kansas City, Mo.

Shaun Walker, 39, currently a resident of Springfield, Mo., was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on March 14, 2022, with one count of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The complaint has been unsealed following Walker’s arrest on Monday, March 21. Walker remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday, March 24.

Walker was employed by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology, which is contracted by the Nuclear National Security Administration.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Walker entered an inner secure area of the U.S. Department of Energy National Security Campus in Kansas City, Mo., with his personal cell phone on Nov. 29, 2021. Walker contacted Kansas City National Security Campus Security to self-report the violation.

Walker gave his cell phone to security personnel, who reviewed the cell phone to determine if any classified material was present on the phone. During the review, the affidavit says, a security officer observed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Walker’s phone was seized in order to conduct a forensic examination.

Investigators found an encrypted folder on Walker’s cell phone that contained 21 images and a video of a 5-year-old girl who is known to Walker. Investigators found dozens of additional images and videos of child pornography on Walker’s cell phone. Investigators also found thousands of WhatsApp chats between Walker and females he contacted through a livestreaming pornography website. Walker requested photos and videos of nude underage females conducting sexual acts, the affidavit says. As a result of his WhatsApp chats, Walker allegedly received and distributed images and videos of child pornography.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General.

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 Dixon, Missouri, woman was charged in federal court today with possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

Connie M. Gonzales, 51, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzalez’s residence on Monday, March 21. Investigators found a safe in the master bedroom that contained a large bag of approximately 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine and three small baggies of crystal methamphetamine. Investigators also found a cellophane-wrapped package on the bed, under the sheet, that contained approximately 440 grams of crystal methamphetamine.

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 Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Pulaski County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the South Central Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing several firearms.

Fredrick Lee Mixon, Jr., 47, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

By pleading guilty today, Mixon admitted that he was in possession of a Smith & Wesson revolver, a Winchester .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun on Dec. 4, 2019. Columbia police officers found those firearms in his bedroom while executing a search warrant at Mixon’s residence.

Officers also found an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic rifle and a STEN 9mm sub-machine gun hidden inside a barbecue grill on the rear patio of the residence. The firearms were inside a rifle bag, which also contained a partially loaded 60-round drum magazine, three partially loaded 30-round magazines, and a box of ammunition. Officers also found a loaded Romarm Drako 7.62x39mm semi-automatic pistol with a 30-round magazine in Mixon’s 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. Mixon has prior felony convictions for robbery and illegally possessing a firearm.

Under federal statutes, Mixon 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. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Marionville, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for producing child pornography and for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet.

James Crowder, 78, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Thursday, March 17, to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Crowder to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On March 29, 2021, Crowder pleaded guilty to one count of using a minor to produce child pornography and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in June 2020 indicated that Google discovered files that contained child pornography uploaded to Crowder’s account and that Twitter discovered a file that contained child pornography in Crowder’s tweet.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Crowder’s residence on Aug. 6, 2020. Crowder was questioned and admitted he had exchanged images and videos of child pornography (depicting children as young as five years old) with others for a period of at least four years. Crowder also told investigators he placed a hidden camera in a bathroom to obtain videos and images of children, then distributed those files over the internet.

Officers seized several digital storage devices, which contained multiple images of child pornography. Investigators also found evidence that Crowder had actively received and distributed a number of images and videos of child pornography over the internet.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who possessed an extensive collection of thousands of images and videos of child pornography pleaded guilty in federal court today to sharing child pornography over the internet.

Philip A. Kocher, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of distributing child pornography over the internet.

Law enforcement officers identified Kocher sharing child pornography on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network in August and December 2020.

On Jan. 22, 2021, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Kocher’s residence and seized a desktop computer and three hard drives, all of which contained child pornography. Investigators found roughly 3,800 files of child exploitive or child abuse images. More than 1,200 of those files were child pornography, which included depictions of infants, toddlers, bondage, and bestiality. Investigators also found an additional 17,000 files, much of which included child pornography.

Kocher admitted that he has been involved with child pornography for at least the past 15 years. He also admitted he had another collection of child pornography that was accidentally deleted a few years ago.

Under federal statutes, Kocher 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 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."

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Missouri, man and a Moberly, Mo., woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to commit armed robbery at four business and two banks in six different cities.

Drake Adam Stockton-Kenney, 30, and Mary Catherine Sumpter, 28, were charged in an eight-count indictment returned under seal on Wednesday, March 16, by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. The indictment was unsealed and made public today following Sumpter’s arrest.

The federal indictment alleges that Stockton-Kenney and Sumpter participated in an armed robbery conspiracy from Feb. 11 to Aug. 10, 2021. They allegedly stole at gunpoint $3,334 from Check into Cash in Moberly, Mo., on April 17, 2021; $297 from World Finance in Mexico, Mo., on May 4, 2021; $670 from Advance America in Marshall, Mo., on May 6, 2021; $200 from Check ‘n Go in Hannibal, Mo., on May 20, 2021; $8,690 from Alliant Bank in Pilot Grove, Mo., on June 2, 2021; and $22,027 from Alliant Bank in Boonville, Mo., on June 25, 2021.

In each of those six armed robberies, the indictment says, Stockton-Kenney brandished a firearm pointed directly at employees. They allegedly used physical restraints to immobilize employees of World Finance and Check ‘n Go during those robberies.

In addition to the conspiracy, Stockton-Kenney and Sumpter are charged together in one count of business robbery, related to the Advance America robbery on May 6, 2021, and two counts of bank robbery. The other three robberies occurred outside the Western District of Missouri.

Stockton-Kenney is also charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Columbia police officers seized a Taurus 9mm pistol from Stockton-Kenney’s residence when he was arrested on Aug. 10, 2021, in an unrelated state case. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Stockton-Kenney has two prior felony convictions for burglary and prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and robbery.

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 Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Booneville, Mo., Police Department, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Cooper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Hannibal, Mo., Police Department, the Marion County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Marshall, Mo., Police Department, the Mexico, Mo., Police Department, the Moberly, Mo., Police Department, the Pilot Grove, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Merriam Village, Missouri, couple was sentenced in federal court today for sexually assaulting two young children to produce child pornography, and for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Mark John Millman, 37, a citizen of Great Britain and a legal alien resident, and his wife and co-defendant, Tara Sau Millman, 42, were sentenced in separate hearings before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Mark and Tara Millman each were sentenced to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced them to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release following incarceration.

Both Millmans pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of minors and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography. Both Mark and Tara Millman have been in federal custody since their arrest and have been detained without bail.

The Millmans admitted that Mark used Tara’s iPhone to record video of her performing a sexual act on a 2-year-old child, identified in court documents as John Doe. Mark Millman admitted that he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old child victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, which was also recorded on video. Investigators found images and videos of child pornography on the Millmans’ iPhones, including files that depicted the Millmans sexually assaulting both child victims.

Mark and Tara Millman each admitted they used a social media application to share child pornography over the internet, and that they viewed child pornography together.

The investigation began when agents with Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, California, began investigating users of a cloud storage platform (identified in court documents as “Cloud Platform A”). The cloud platform provides encrypted, cloud-based services that enable private, secure online storage, communication, and collaboration for business and individuals. During the investigation, the agents accessed a weblink to an encrypted chat room with approximately 145 registered users. Files containing child pornography were uploaded/posted by participants in the chat room. Many users were actively involved in the distribution of child pornography. The child pornography distributed within the chat included 129 video files, 324 image files, and 43 cloud-storage weblinks which contained files of child pornography.

 

Mark Millman’s email was identified among the registered users of the chat room, and a search warrant was executed at the Millmans’ residence in Taney County, Mo., on Jan. 28, 2021.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man was charged in federal court today with smuggling more than four kilograms of counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, Calif.

Matthew John Gomez, 27, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, members of the Missouri Western Interdiction Task Force (MoWIN) watched Gomez at a local bus terminal on Wednesday, March 16, as he got off a bus traveling through Kansas City from Los Angeles. Gomez was wearing a backpack and carrying a large duffel bag. He walked out the front doors of the bus terminal and paced back and forth on the sidewalk while making a call on his cell phone. A police detective contacted Gomez, who said he was traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The detective asked Gomez if he would consent to a search of his luggage. Gomez placed his duffel bag on the ground and was in the process of removing his backpack when he quickly stepped away from the detective in an attempt to flee. A struggle ensued, and Gomez was eventually placed under arrest and escorted into the terminal.

A police dog alerted to the presence of drugs in Gomez’s duffel bag and backpack. Officers searched Gomez’s backpack and found three large, heat-sealed packages that contained numerous blue M30 pills. Although blue M30 pills typically contain 30 milligrams of oxycodone hydrochloride, law enforcement officers are aware that such pills are commonly counterfeit pills that are made with fentanyl. The gross weight of the pills was 4,127 grams, which is approximately 9.1 pounds. A forensic specialist with the Kansas City Police Crime Laboratory confirmed that the recovered pills contain fentanyl.

Gomez told investigators he was paid $500 before leaving Los Angeles and was to be paid an additional $2,000 when he returned.

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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam. It was investigated by the Kansas City Mo., Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after she sold more than three kilograms of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer.

Megan M. Massie, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from September 2019 to Jan. 26, 2020.

By pleading guilty today, Massie admitted that she sold methamphetamine to an undercover detective with the Jackson County Drug Task Force on 14 separate occasions, distributing a total of 3,436.5 grams of methamphetamine.

Massie was also found in possession of 41 grams of methamphetamine when she was stopped by Overland Park, Kansas, police officers for a traffic violation. She is currently serving a 56-month prison term after being convicted in Johnson County, Kan., of possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Massie 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Brackett and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who was caught discussing plans online to sexually abuse a child pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing child pornography.

Joshua Evan Lilley, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of distributing child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet.

According to today’s plea agreement, an FBI employee from the Knoxville, Tennessee, division was acting in an undercover capacity on April 30, 2021, targeting individuals on a social media site (not identified) who were actively engaged in sharing, distributing, and/or producing child pornography. The undercover FBI employee was in contact with a site user (not identified) who sent Lilley images and videos of child pornography, which that individual had produced.

Messages between Lilley and the user involved a conversation about a child victim, to whom the user had access, and whom Lilly wanted to sexually abuse. Lilley sent the user images and videos of child sexual abuse; one involved bestiality. That individual was arrested, and consented for an FBI covert employee to assume their online identity.

Lilley sent at least six videos of child sexual abuse to the FBI covert employee. Lilley also sent a link to approximately 184 videos of child sexual abuse that he had collected.

Lilley said he was involved with other groups on the social media site that shared child pornography. He asked to meet the FBI covert employee for dinner and a drink. Lilley said he wanted to meet in person before going any further in their plans. When Lilley arrived for the meeting, the FBI covert employee sent him a message that he wasn’t going to be able to make it, and there was no meeting. A surveillance team followed Lilley as he returned home.  

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lilley’s residence on May 5, 2021, and seized his iPhone, iPad, laptop computer and a thumb drive, each of which contained child pornography. Investigators also seized five glass containers and eight bags that contained marijuana, a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol with additional ammunition, a Savage Arms .22-caliber rifle, and $12,020 in cash.

Under federal statutes, Lilley is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. 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. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a series of armed business robberies in Kansas City and Independence, Mo.

Henry Simmons, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 1, 2021, Simmons pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery and one count of attempted robbery. Co-defendants Vonterrious Humbert, 22, Tremaine Johnson, 23, both of Kansas City, Mo., have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Humbert was sentenced on Feb. 24, 2021, to eight years in federal prison without parole. Johnson was sentenced on Sept. 23, 2021, to five years in federal prison without parole.

Simmons, Humbert, and Johnson were arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, following the early-morning armed robbery of a Phillips 66 convenience store and the attempted robbery of a Taco Bell on N.W. Barry Road in Kansas City, Mo.

The conspiracy included eight additional business robberies: five armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Independence, Mo., and Kansas City, Mo., in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, 2018, and three armed robberies of a Domino’s Pizza, a 7-Eleven convenience store and a Sinclair convenience store in Kansas City, Mo., during the early morning hours of Nov. 25, 2018.

Law enforcement officials identified a 2003 Dodge Durango SUV as being used in some of the robberies. On Monday, Nov. 26, 2018, law enforcement observed Humbert, Johnson, Simmons and two juveniles traveling in that Dodge Durango SUV to approximately 15 to 20 convenience stores, fast-food restaurants and other businesses that were open late or operated 24 hours a day. Officers believed they were casing the businesses – making repetitive passes by these businesses in a slow, surveillance-like manner, as if examining the businesses for activity and occupants in advance of initiating a robbery.

At approximately 2:37 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, the vehicle arrived at the shopping area at N.W. Barry Road and Ambassador Drive in Kansas City, Mo. The vehicle parked at a nearby apartment complex. Four individuals got out of the vehicle; Humbert and Johnson walked across the street to the Phillips 66 convenience store while Simmons and a juvenile male walked to the Taco Bell.

Humbert and Johnson robbed the Phillips 66 store at gunpoint, stealing approximately $400, then ran back across the street toward a wooded area near the apartment complex. Johnson and Humbert were pursued into a strip mall area near the apartment complex. Both were apprehended nearby and were found to have discarded the firearms they possessed at the time of the robbery – a Taurus handgun with a laser sight and an SKS-type 7.62x39mm rifle.

As this robbery was occurring, Simmons and the juvenile were attempting to gain entry to the Taco Bell to rob the employees.  When officers approached, Simmons and the juvenile ran and discharged two firearms.  After they were taken into custody, officers retrieved a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a laser sight and a loaded Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

A second juvenile male was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the Dodge Durango SUV at the time of the arrests. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a jar containing marijuana.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that, in total, distributed more than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 10 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $1.7 million.

Matthew John Fabulae, 33, of was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, March 11, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fabulae to forfeit to the government $44,000 based on his distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy.

On July 21, 2021, Fabulae pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and a money-laundering conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2020. Fabulae also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Fabulae is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendant Amy Leann Nieman, 50, of Moorseville, Mo., was sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022, to nine years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to possessing firearms during a drug-trafficking crime. Co-defendant Seth Alan Turbyfill, 33, of Chillicothe, Mo., pleaded guilty to the same crimes on Jan. 25, 2022, and awaits sentencing.

Fabulae’s plea agreement cites three separate instances in which law enforcement officers had contact with Fabulae, who was in possession of illegal drugs and firearms, while he was staying at local hotels.

On Feb. 12, 2019, Kansas City, Mo., police officers were patrolling the parking lot of the Motel 6 at 3636 Randolph Road when they saw Fabulae drive past in his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Officers activated their emergency equipment and followed Fabulae, attempting to conduct a traffic stop. Fabulae refused to stop and began to elude the officers. Fabulae drove the Jeep off road and up a hill approximately 100 feet from the roadway. Fabulae, who had a black and white drawstring backpack strapped around his shoulders, got out of the vehicle and ran into some trees and brush. The officers followed Fabulae into the brush and found the backpack on the ground. Officers found Fabulae hiding inside a large trash dumpster in a parking lot. Officers searched him and found approximately two grams of methamphetamine, a firearm magazine containing five .45-caliber rounds, and $1,096 in cash. Inside the backpack, officers found 48 grams of cocaine HCL, 10 grams of marijuana, and 280 grams of methamphetamine. Inside Fabulae’s Jeep, officers found four cell phones, one tablet, one laptop, one firearm magazine that contained five rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. On the ground next to the Jeep was a blue backpack with one live .45-caliber round inside. Officers later found a Springfield Armory .45-caliber handgun concealed in some vegetation in the woods.

Kansas City police officers were called to the Sure Stay Plaza Hotel, 11828 N.W. Plaza Circle in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 6, 2017, when two men attempted to rob Fabulae at gun point in his room. Fabulae shot one of the men multiple times and fled from the scene. When Fabulae was arrested a few days later, he told officers he had been in the room about to take a shower when the two men entered the room. One of them pointed a gun at him and a physical altercation ensued. Fabulae stated the gun fell to the floor and he picked it up and fired several times. Fabulae stated he was unsure if the men meant to rob him or kill him.

Law enforcement officers were dispatched to 2214 Taney St. in North Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 28, 2018, on reported sounds of shots. Upon arrival they contacted Fabulae, who allegedly shot into another room. Officers searched Fabulae’s vehicle and found a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, an American Tactical AR pistol, and a black duffel bag that contained 331 grams of methamphetamine, 124 grams of cocaine, and 124 grams of marijuana.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff's Department.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An investigation into an armed and violent drug-trafficking organization led to the arrests of 25 Kansas City, Missouri, area residents this week in an operation that involved more than 200 law enforcement officers from multiple local and federal agencies.

“This operation removed a large number of armed and dangerous drug dealers from the streets of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “After a nearly year-long investigation, our law enforcement partners worked together to take down a significant drug-trafficking organization and reduce the threat of violent crime in our neighborhoods.”

The operation resulted in 21 arrests on Wednesday, March 9, and four arrests on Tuesday, March 8. Officers seized 27 firearms, 1,877 rounds of ammunition, more than 11.1 kilograms of marijuana, 300.9 grams of cocaine, 278.91 grams of other illegal drugs, and $34,439 in cash. Additional seizures are still in the process of being logged into evidence.

More than 200 law enforcement officers were involved in the operation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.  

“This operation sends a very clear message to those using firearms in crime, selling narcotics and terrorizing our neighborhoods,” said Frederic Winston, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Field Division. “Law enforcement is working together at every level, to hold you accountable for the crimes you commit and the havoc you have brought to our community.”

“We know that violence and drug trafficking go hand in hand,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley, supervisor of DEA operations in Western Missouri. “Working with our federal and local partners in operations like the one yesterday, DEA is one step closer toward reversing the devastating trends of overdoses and drug-related violence threatening Kansas City.”

Kevin C. Cokes, also known as “Big K” and “Uncle,” 60, Mercedez M. Gardner, also known as “Twin,” 36, November D. Gardner, also known as “October” and “Nuttie,” 23, Idella Gardner, also known as “Lupi,” 34, Delmar L. Hatcher, 51, Nathaniel B. Chapple, 24, Treandre R. Walker, 24, Hazel M. Berymon, 64, Carlton L. Burns, also known as “Pooder,” 24, Christopher J. Hicks-Berry, 35, Kyeir C. Theus, 35, Tony L. Davis, 52, Michael R. Parks, 62, Brian T. Boxly, 45, Parris J. Walker, 27, Jachobette J. Gardner, 42, Reginald L. Mitchem, 42, Eliot E. Cox, 32, Martell C. Cratch, 30, Anthony D. Stuckey, 66, Matthew Rogers, 59, Gloria Hutchinson, 37, Eddie L. Nicholson, Jr., also known as “Junior,” 54, Toneisha R. Blackmon, 29, and Shania N. Bailey, 23, all of Kansas City, Mo., and Deone D. Gardner, also known as “Twin,” 28, of Belton, Mo., were charged in an 86-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on March 1, 2022.

The federal indictment alleges that all 26 defendants have participated in a conspiracy since Jan. 28, 2019, to distribute crack cocaine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana in Jackson County. That indictment was unsealed and made public yesterday following the arrests of most of the defendants.

According to court documents, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating an armed drug trafficking organization operating primarily in east Kansas City, Mo., in April 2021. Members are known to sell marijuana, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, purported ecstasy pills, purported Percocet pills (believed to be counterfeit pills made with fentanyl), purported OxyContin pills, carry firearms, and commit acts of violence.

In a motion seeking his detention in federal custody without bond, the government alleges that Cokes is the main supplier for the organization. The motion cites several instances in which various defendants have been stopped by law enforcement officers, while they were in possession of illegal drugs and firearms. In some instances, defendants attempted to flee from officers.

Among the incidents cited in the government’s detention motion are shootings that occurred at 208 Westport Road in Kansas City, Mo., on April 17, 2021, and in the area of 24th Street and Van Brunt in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 26, 2019. Three victims were wounded in the early afternoon shooting at Westport, and witnesses described two shooters with AK-style weapons. Numerous shots were fired at the 24th Street shooting but no injuries were reported. A Nissan Pathfinder rental vehicle, which was parked at that location, was struck by gunfire.

In addition to the conspiracy, various defendants are charged in 16 drug-trafficking counts and 57 counts of illegally using a telephone to facilitate the conspiracy.

November Gardner and Deone Gardner were also charged together in one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes.

November Gardner was also charged in two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and two counts of being a user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms.

Cokes and Walker were also charged together in one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Deone Gardner and Theus were also charged in separate counts with being felons in possession of firearms.

November Gardner and Hicks-Berry were charged in one count of aiding and abetting each other in the destruction of a motor vehicle with the intent to endanger the safety of another person and with reckless disregard for the safety of human life. The indictment alleges they destroyed a parked Nissan Pathfinder rental vehicle on Nov. 26, 2021. They are also charged with one count of aiding and abetting each other to use a firearm in relation to that crime.

November Gardner and Burns are also charged together in one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Additional Defendants

Two additional defendants were arrested as part of the investigation, but charged separately in federal indictments that also were unsealed yesterday.

John E. Johnson, 29, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. John Johnson allegedly was in possession of a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on Feb. 8, 2022.

Arron L. Hall, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged with three counts of distributing methamphetamine and marijuana from May 5 to June 10, 2021.

The charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, who Eddie L. Nicholson, Jr., also known as “Junior,” 54, se duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Bradshaw. They were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Johnson County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department and the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department.

KC Metro Strike Force

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for the armed robbery of a female Z-Trip driver whom he shot approximately 26 times with a rifle from the back seat.

Derron D. Nevels, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Wednesday, March 9, to 13 years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 27, 2021, Nevels pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during a violent crime.

Nevels was picked up by a Z-Trip driver on Wabash Avenue in Kansas City, Mo., on the evening of Dec. 4, 2018. The Z-Trip taxi in which the crime was committed is equipped with interior and exterior cameras. The cameras show Nevels getting into the rear passenger seat at approximately 8 p.m. The Z-Trip driver took him to Benton Avenue in Kansas City, Mo.

When they arrived at the destination, they waited in the vehicle for somebody to bring out the fare. When a second suspect approached the vehicle, Nevels held a Smith and Wesson Military & Police .22-caliber rifle up to the victim’s head and demanded she give him everything. The victim attempted to explain that Nevels was being recorded, to which Nevels responded, “I don’t care; give me everything.” Nevels also appeared to be taking a photo or video with his cell phone.

The victim turned toward the back seat and grabbed onto the rifle, and a struggle ensued. The second suspect hit the victim in the face, then reached around the driver’s seat and began striking the victim in the back and the back of the victim’s head. The victim released Nevels’ rifle and then Nevels leaned back in his seat, chambered a live round, and opened fire on the victim from close range.  Nevels fired approximately 26 times into the victim.  Nevels and his accomplice then ran from the scene.

About 10 minutes later, Nevels and another suspect returned to the victim’s vehicle to retrieve a cell phone Nevels had left behind when he fled from the scene of the earlier robbery and assault. Nevels can be heard on the Z-Trip vehicle’s video asking the victim if she is okay.  The victim indicates she has been shot. Nevels asked the victim if she had called the police. He got into the rear driver’s side of the taxi and picked up the cell phone, then left the scene.

When police officers arrived, the victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. According to court documents, she continues to suffer from her serious and debilitating injuries inflicted by Nevels.

Investigators used cell phone and Facebook data to identify Nevels and the distinctive rifle he used in the robbery. On Dec. 10, 2018, Nevels was seen getting onto a bus near Prospect Avenue and Swope Parkway. Nevels was arrested when he got off the bus at 11th Street and Grand Avenue. Nevels was carrying the loaded rifle hidden in his waistband with the barrel going down his right pant leg. The rifle was later positively identified as the weapon used to shoot the Z-Trip driver during the robbery.

Co-defendants Bailee Anna Maria Prieto, 21, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Melani Yitzel Collazo Jimenez, also known as “Mel,” 24, of Kansas City, Mo., have each pleaded guilty to being accessories after the fact to the robbery. Prieto was sentenced on Nov. 23, 2021, to three years in federal prison without parole. Jimenez was sentenced on Nov. 18, 2021, to two years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Prieto used or allowed her phone to be used to order the Z-Trip that was robbed. Prieto disposed of her phone after the robbery to avoid the police searching it.

Jimenez went to the scene to help Nevels retrieve his telephone from the Z-Trip where he left it after the robbery and shooting. Jimenez provided her apartment for Nevels, Prieto, and others to stay the night after the robbery.

Neither Prieto nor Jimenez reported anything to law enforcement. The two of them communicated with and were associated with Nevels and others, before, during, and after the robbery and shooting.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. 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 Farley, Missouri, man has been charged in federal court with producing and distributing child pornography.

Andrew J. McCardie, 35, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, March 7, with one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography over the internet.

Following a detention hearing today, McCardie will remain in federal custody without bond until his trial.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an FBI online covert employee from the Atlanta, Georgia, field office was in contact with McCardie on the Kik messaging application. McCardie allegedly claimed to be sexually abusing multiple children. During the chat, the affidavit says, McCardie claimed he had been producing child pornography at others’ request for a couple of years.

On March 5, 2022, McCardie allegedly sent the FBI employee two videos that depicted child sexual abuse. McCardie claimed that one of the videos, which appear to depict him sexually abusing a child, was taken the same day. He also sent a screen shot as evidence that it was a live video taken with the Kik application and previously sent to another Kik user.

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. According to the affidavit, 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.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It is being investigated by the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Rogersville, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for three separate cases in which he was convicted of child sexual exploitation, a nearly $1 million investment fraud scheme, and illegally possessing 19 firearms.

Roy G. Harris, Jr., 57, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 30 years in federal prison without parole. Harris was sentenced to 20 years on the child exploitation offenses, five years on the wire fraud offense, and five years on the firearms offenses, for a total of 30 years.

The court also ordered Harris to pay $809,260 in restitution to the victims of his wire fraud scheme and $5,000 to the victim of his child sexual exploitation and child pornography crimes.

On Feb. 27, 2019, Harris pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with wire fraud. He was indicted in a second case on Aug. 23, 2019, and on a third case on March 23, 2021. On Aug. 3, 2021, Harris pleaded guilty to all three counts of the second case – one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possessing an illegal firearm, and one count of unlawfully possessing an unregistered firearm. On Aug. 19, 2021, Harris pleaded guilty to both counts of the third case – one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

Regarding his wire fraud conviction, Harris admitted that he engaged in an investment fraud scheme from June 2014 to May 2017. The total loss to victims of his fraud was at least $921,250. Harris has paid back some of the money to various investors.

Harris was the owner of two limited liability companies, Orthogistic, LLC, and Amniogistic, LLC. He was also the owner of a corporation, Orthogistic Labs, Inc. He solicited investments from individuals, including a victim identified in court documents as “P.K.,” a resident of New Jersey who invested $60,000 in Orthogistic Labs, Inc. Harris made representations to these individuals that he knew were false, and used some of the money obtained from his victims for other purposes and for his personal benefit. Harris failed to tell investors that he had been convicted in 2002 of the felony crimes of fraud in the sale of a security, deceptive business practice, and stealing. In some cases, he told potential investors, including P.K., that he did not have any prior criminal charges or convictions for theft or related offenses.

After pleading guilty to wire fraud, Harris was in possession of 19 firearms, including 12 rifles and seven pistols, which were at his residence. One of the rifles, which was not registered, had a short barrel length and did not have a stock designed to be fired from the shoulder.  Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

While investigating the firearms offenses, law enforcement officers searched two iPhones that belonged to Harris. The phones contained images and videos of child pornography. Among them was an image of a victim under the age of 15 whom Harris met online and solicited to engage in sexual activity.

While awaiting trial on his firearms and sexual exploitation charges, Harris solicited at least one individual to murder several witnesses related to the firearms charges. Harris made video calls from the Greene County Jail to another person, whom he asked for assistance with murdering several people so that he would not have to serve a lengthy prison sentence. Harris offered to pay him with property, including a motorcycle.

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. They were investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Missouri Securities Division.

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.  

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, Missouri, man who twice fled from police officers was sentenced in federal court today for possessing crack cocaine to distribute.

Eldon M. Cox, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Cox was sentenced as an career offender due to his prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and violent crimes.

On Aug. 11, 2021, Cox pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. Cox admitted that he was stopped twice by Kansas City police officers while he was in possession of crack cocaine that he intended to distribute.

On Sept. 3, 2017, Cox was passed out in the back seat of a Chevrolet parked at a gas station on Truman Road in Kansas City, Mo. The driver’s side door was open and there was a Bohnmische Waffenfabrik/FNH .40-caliber handgun, which officers later learned had been stolen, inside the car. Officers searched the Chevrolet and found a bag with 5.52 grams of crack cocaine and a bag of 1.3 grams of cocaine in the compartment next to the driver’s door handle.

On Sept. 24, 2018, a Kansas City police motorcycle officer attempted to stop Cox near 7th Street and Benton Boulevard. Cox began to flee in his vehicle down 7th Street, but only made it approximately 50 yards before his vehicle was stopped. Cox reversed the vehicle as the officer approached, driving toward the officer, who had to move to avoid being hit. Cox jumped from the car while it was moving. The vehicle continued unmanned across Benton Boulevard, hit a handicap sign, and struck a gas meter, causing a leak that required evacuation of the block. The officer chased Cox into the parking lot behind 613 Benton Boulevard, and ultimately into an alley. The officer saw Cox pull a Taurus .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun from his front waistband along with several baggies and try and throw the baggies and the firearm over a fence. The baggies struck the top of the fence and fell straight down. The gun struck the roadway and slid into the middle of the street.

The officer caught Cox, but Cox resisted and got away. By this point, other officers had arrived and, with the help of a helicopter, tracked Cox to an apartment complex’s rear stairs and arrested him. Officers retrieved the firearm Cox had thrown into the street. Officers also found 34 baggies of crack cocaine.  Officers also found two baggies of powder cocaine in Cox’s car. Cox had $2,276 in his pants pocket.

In addition to these incidents, to which Cox pleaded guilty, Kansas City police officers and the U.S. Marshals Service were surveilling Cox on April 24, 2019, seeking to arrest him on the warrant in this case. They found Cox, but he again tried to flee.

Cox was outside the vehicle when officers approached and surrounded him. Rather than surrendering, Cox ran back into the driver’s seat, put the car in reverse, and struck a marshal’s vehicle. When Cox was unable to move the marshal’s vehicle, he fled on foot, but was captured shortly into his flight. On the floor of the front passenger seat was a Glock .40-caliber handgun with an extended magazine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean T. Foley and Sarah J. Rasalam. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for robbing a family at gunpoint in their home.

Cameron E. Scott, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole.

On June 2, 2021, Scott pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Co-defendant Chase M. Murphy, 20, of Kansas City, Mo., has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

Scott and Murphy (along with an unidentified third man) robbed a group of three juveniles and four adults at gunpoint on March 22, 2020. The three men forced their way into a residence in the 8100 block of Wayne Avenue in Kansas City, Mo., and pointed firearms at multiple victims (mostly members of the same family). They held one of the victims at gunpoint while demanding money and marijuana.

The three men stole $450, marijuana, a rifle and a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol then left the residence. Officers saw a car matching the description a witness gave of the robbers’ vehicle. Three men got out of the vehicle and ran into a residence in the 9200 block of Indiana Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. Soon afterward, the driver of the vehicle returned to the car and left. Officers attempted to follow the vehicle but lost sight of it. Scott and Murphy were seen leaving from the back of the residence. When officers announced themselves, they fled into a wooded area. A short time later, Scott and Murphy were seen walking in the tree line near 93rd Street and Grandview Road. Officers tried to approach them, but they fled on foot again. Officers gave chase and ultimately found Scott and Murphy hiding in a creek bed.

Officers searched the residence on Indiana Avenue. In the attic, they found a black suitcase with a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol (which matched the description of the firearm taken during the robbery) and a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

In a separate and unrelated case, Murphy also pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. Murphy admitted that he robbed the Taco Bell at 5925 Independence Ave., Kansas City, Mo., on May 28, 2019.  A brick was thrown through the drive-through window of the Taco Bell, shattering the glass. Murphy and another person, both carrying handguns, entered the restaurant through the broken window. They pointed their guns at the heads of two employees and ordered one to open the cash register. They took $300 from the register and fled through the broken window.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. They were investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Raytown, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

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 Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing the firearm he accidentally fired in a fatal shooting at the Kansas City Zoo.

Anthony R. Meneses, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to four years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 9, 2021, Meneses pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Kansas City police officers were called to the scene of an accidental shooting in a parking lot at 6800 Zoo Drive, Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2020. The victim, identified in court documents as “J.S.,” had been shot while he was sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2005 Toyota Camry, which was occupied by three other persons.

Meneses was sitting behind the driver’s seat; there was another passenger in the back seat and in the front passenger seat. Meneses grabbed the gun, a Glock 9mm pistol, from the back pocket of the driver’s seat when the gun accidentally fired. The bullet traveled though the driver’s seat, striking J.S. in the chest.

J. S. was transported to Research Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Meneses has prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and burglary.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, 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 Desert Hot Springs, California, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to smuggling more than four kilograms of methamphetamine from Los Angeles, Calif., to Indianapolis, Indiana aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri.

Gary A. Aquerrebere, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

According to today’s plea agreement, Aquerrebere was traveling through Kansas City on April 15, 2019. Members of the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN) utilized a drug-sniffing dog, which alerted to a suitcase in the luggage compartment of the bus. Initially, none of the passengers on the bus claimed ownership of the luggage, which had a baggage claim ticket with Aquerrebere’s name, but eventually Aquerrebere admitted the suitcase was his.

When officers searched the suitcase, they found 10 bundles inside a cardboard box. The bundles, wrapped in clear cellophane and black electrical tape, contained a total of 4.356 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Aquerrebere 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Michael Green. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing and sharing hundreds of videos and images of child pornography over the internet.

James Andrew Clingenpeel, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to nine years and one month in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 2, 2019, Clingenpeel pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to distribute child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. Clingenpeel admitted that he utilized a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to distribute a video of child pornography over the internet. Clingenpeel’s criminal conduct was discovered during an FBI national investigation into the network, which allows users to share child pornography on their computers with other members over the internet. Clingenpeel was an “Ultimate” member with an account since October 2013. An undercover FBI undercover operative invited Clingenpeel to join his network; Clingenpeel then shared 436 files that contained 9.1GB of content to the network.

Clingenpeel also admitted that he was in possession of child pornography. On April 19, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Clingenpeel’s residence. Officers seized three electronic devices; a notebook computer contained 550 videos and 180 images of child pornography and a computer hard drive contained one video of child pornography, more than 100 images of possible child erotica, and one video of possible child erotica.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI and the Independence, 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."

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Russellville, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing more than a kilogram of methamphetamine.

William Austin Lee Crabtree, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 24, 2021, Crabtree pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

A Moniteau County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy saw Crabtree in the driver’s seat of a Cadillac parked behind an apartment complex in Tipton, Mo., on Oct. 17, 2017. The deputy parked in front of the Cadillac and, as he got out of his vehicle, another man began walking away from the Cadillac. As the deputy was speaking to him, Crabtree got out of the Cadillac and began walking away. The deputy told Crabtree to stop, but he continued walking away until the deputy produced his taser.

A police dog alerted to the driver’s side door of the Cadillac. The deputy searched Crabtree’s car and found a white bag that contained two baggies with a total of 298.4 grams of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, during a series of telephone calls made by Crabtree while incarcerated in the Moniteau County jail, Crabtree spoke with his girlfriend and discussed amounts of money owed to him by his various drug customers. Based on those conversations, Crabtree was held accountable for more than one kilogram of methamphetamine.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Moniteau County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former mail carrier pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing nearly 100 sports trading cards worth thousands of dollars from the mail.

Paul O. Robinson, 26, of Richmond, Missouri, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of mail theft.

By pleading guilty today, Robinson admitted that he stole 94 sports trading cards, valued at approximately $39,994, and other items from the mail from April to June 2021.

Robinson worked for the U.S. Postal Service from 2018 to 2021. He was initially assigned to be a carrier at the Barry Woods Annex in Kansas City, Mo. In June 2021 a customer reported that he had mailed a Kevin Durant basketball sports trading card valued at $1,925 to a customer in Kansas City, Mo., but the card never arrived. The customer also provided the tracking and serial numbers for additional mail items that contained valuable sports trading cards and had been placed in the mail and were missing.

Four of the missing sports cards were recovered from a sports memorabilia store in Gladstone, Mo. Surveillance video from the store showed Robinson, in his postal uniform, presenting the cards for sale on June 12, 2021. When federal agents interviewed Robinson, he admitted that he stole the cards. Robinson also admitted to taking mail home in his car and destroying mail. Agents searched Robinson’s residence and found approximately 440 pieces of mail and one additional trading card.

In August 2021, 11 additional sports trading cards were recovered from a sports cards and memorabilia store in Liberty, Mo. Another sports trading card was also recovered from the sports memorabilia store in Gladstone.

Under federal statutes, Robinson 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. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Chanute, Kansas, man serving with the Army National Guard pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexually exploiting an 11-year-old southwest Missouri victim to produce child pornography.

Christian Sinclair, 21, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child.

By pleading guilty today, Sinclair admitted that he used a minor to produce child pornography from Aug. 1, 2020, through June 15, 2021.

According to today’s plea agreement, a captain in the Kansas National Guard contacted the Sierra Vista, Arizona, police department on June 15, 2021, while his unit was deployed to Arizona. The captain reported that Sinclair, one of the soldiers in his command, was sexting an 11-year-old child in Missouri. Sinclair’s fiancée had reported to the captain earlier the same day that she had screenshots between herself and Sinclair in which Sinclair admitted to “cheating” on her with an 11-year-old child.

The child victim told investigators that she had sent Sinclair multiple pornographic videos and images of herself via Snapchat at Sinclair’s request. Sinclair admitted that he also sent pornographic images of himself to the child victim via Snapchat.

Under federal statutes, Sinclair 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 Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Lamar, Mo., Police Department, the Sierra Vista, Arizona, Police Department, and the Chanute, Kan., 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 Springfield, Missouri man was sentenced in federal court today after law enforcement officers seized more than two kilograms of methamphetamine from his residence.

Walter M. Terrell, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 13 years in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 1, 2021, Terrell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene and Cass counties from May 10 to Nov. 8, 2018. Terrell admitted that he made multiple trips to Texas to acquire kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, which he distributed to others, including co-defendants Christopher Iavolo, 43, and Xlyona Sharp, 38, both of Springfield.

Springfield police officers executed a search warrant at Terrell’s residence on Sept. 5, 2018. Officers found a blue duffle bag next to the couch that contained three bags with a total of 2.625 kilograms of methamphetamine. Terrell, who admitted he recently returned from Texas with a little more than three kilograms of methamphetamine, told officers he usually paid $8,000 to $9,000 for each kilogram of methamphetamine. Officers also seized $12,000 from the residence and $2,600 found in Terrell’s front pocket. Terrell has forfeited to the government the total $14,600 that was seized.

Terrell’s role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy occurred while he was on bond for a state charge of possessing a stolen firearm.

Terrell is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case.

Sharp was sentenced on Nov. 30, 2021, to seven years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Sharp also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Iavolo was sentenced on Jan. 6, 2022, to six years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Iavolo also pleaded guilty to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

On Nov. 6, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Iavolo’s residence. Iavolo had a loaded Beretta .32-caliber semi-automatic pistol tucked inside the back of his pants. When officers searched a bedroom, they found a Masterpiece Arms 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended high capacity magazine in between the bed’s box spring and mattress. Underneath the bed, they found a loaded HK .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, a loaded Romarm 7.62x39mm semi-automatic rifle, and a rifle case that contained two loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic handguns, a loaded Cobra .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a loaded Star .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a loaded Jennings 9mm semi-automatic pistol, numerous handgun magazines, ammunition, a large knife, a rifle scope, and handgun holsters.

Officers also found a safe inside the bedroom closet that contained 33.37 grams of methamphetamine. The bag appeared as if there was once much more methamphetamine inside of it based upon the amount of residue. There was also a metal scoop inside the bag.

Co-defendant Michael D. Johnson was sentenced on Dec. 1, 2021, to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole. Johnson pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Sarff. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Pleasant Hill, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who has been involved in several shootings was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing firearms.

Zecheriah D. Stewart, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to nine years in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 20, 2021, Stewart pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms. Stewart admitted that he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber pistol with an extended clip with 22 rounds of ammunition when he was pulled over by police officers on May 21, 2019. Stewart had a felony probation violation warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody. The firearm had been reported stolen.

Stewart also admitted that he was a passenger in an Infinity FX35 SUV, which officers attempted to stop on Oct. 11, 2019. The Infinity fled from officers, crossed a lane of traffic, sped, disregarded stop signs, and drove erratically until it crashed. Officers placed Stewart, the driver, and another passenger in custody. Officers found a Glock 9mm pistol with an extended magazine inside the vehicle and another Glock 9mm pistol about 15 feet from the vehicle.

According to court documents, in addition to these instances, Stewart was involved in at least two shootings. In the first instance, Stewart was the driver of a vehicle and parked at a gas station in Kansas City, Mo. A passenger in Stewart’s vehicle shot another man and attempted to steal his ATV. In the second instance, Stewart participated in a gunfight at the Discount Smoke & Convenience Store in Raytown, Mo., in which a person was killed. Stewart, who was wounded in the gunfight, fled to a nearby laundromat. Officers found his .45-caliber pistol in a laundry basket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Stewart has prior felony convictions for assault (for shooting someone) and two counts of tampering with a motor vehicle.

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

Project Safe Neighborhoods

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Houston, Texas, man was sentenced in federal court today for defrauding two Kansas City-area brothers who have also been convicted in the investment fraud scheme.

Duc Nguyen, also known as “Doug,” 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nguyen to pay $1,641,000 in forfeiture and restitution.

On July 15, 2021, Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Nguyen admitted that he engaged in a fraud scheme from April 2018 to August 2019 in which he proposed an opportunity for high net worth individuals to invest in the purchase, refurbishing, and sale of used oil equipment. He told Phillip Hudnall of Lenexa, Kansas, and his brother, Brian Hudnall, of Kansas City, Missouri, that profit from these transactions would be three to five times the amount of the investment. Brian and Phillip Hudnall raised money from investors based upon these representations from Nguyen.

From April 2018 through June 2019, the Hudnall brothers wire transferred $1,641,000 in 29 separate transactions to two separate accounts controlled by Nguyen. Nguyen admitted that he did not use any of the monies for the purchase, refurbishment, and shipment of used oil equipment. The money from those accounts was traced to hundreds of thousands of dollars in transactions at Las Vegas casinos and for Nguyen’s personal expenses.

Although Phillip and Brian Hudnall were victims of Nguyen’s scheme, they made false representations and defrauded their investors of approximately $4.5 million. They pleaded guilty in June 2020, in separate but related cases, to their roles in the investment fraud scheme. Brian Hudnall was sentenced on Oct. 21, 2021, to three years in federal prison without parole and ordered to pay approximately $4.5 million in restitution. Phillip Hudnall is scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2022.

Phillip Hudnall told investors that his company, BirdDog Business Group, LLC, had completed two successful transactions – a $244,000 loan and a $490,000 loan, both of which had been repaid with an interest rate of 30 percent. In fact, no prior completed transactions occurred and no monies were received from the sale of any oil equipment including any principal or interest. To support the false claim, Phillip Hudnall requested that Brian Hudnall create documents as proof of the prior successfully completed transactions. Brian Hudnall wrote two checks on the bank account of his business, DonDon LLC, which was closed. Brian Hudnall also created a fraudulent memorandum to support the false claim.

Phillip Hudnall told investors their funds would be used to purchase specific pieces of oil equipment for refurbishment and resale. Persons invested approximately $3.6 million for the purpose of purchasing specific pieces of oil equipment. Phillip Hudnall and another person also obtained a loan from a bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for approximately $1.3 million to finance the oil equipment scheme. Most of the money raised from investors, however, was spent on personal expenses.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. They were investigated by the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A New York, N.Y., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to smuggling more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri, from Los Angeles, California, to New York.

Douglas D. McDowell, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Officers with the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN) were conducting interdiction activities at a local bus terminal on May 10, 2021, when a drug detecting police dog indicated the presence of drugs in the checked luggage of the bus undercarriage.

Officers searched two suitcases that belonged to McDowell. One suitcase contained nine bundles of methamphetamine and the other contained 12 bundles of methamphetamine that weighed a total of 10.16 kilograms.

Under federal statutes, McDowell is subject to a sentence of up to 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 Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Belton, Missouri, man who caused an accident while fleeing from a police helicopter, then ran from police officers through the backyards of a residential neighborhood before being apprehended, was charged in federal court today with illegally possessing firearms.

Jonathon M. Pentlin, 24, was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Pentlin remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, a police helicopter was following the stolen 2015 Ford Focus, which Pentlin was driving, from Belton to a Phillips 66 gas station at 5151 E. Red Bridge Road in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance on Pentlin and another person as part of an ongoing investigation into a residential burglary in which multiple firearms were stolen. The passenger got out of the Focus and into another vehicle at the gas station. Pentlin continued driving the stolen Focus westbound on Red Bridge Road.

As the helicopter followed the Focus, the affidavit says, Pentlin began driving at a high speed. The Focus was involved in an accident in the area of 107th Terrace and Grandview Road in Kansas City, Mo. Pentlin got out of the vehicle and ran westbound through backyards. A Kansas City police sergeant who got out of his vehicle in an attempt to apprehend Pentlin saw that Pentlin was armed with a handgun as he was running through the backyards.

Additional officers arrived and located Pentlin in the backyard of a residence on E. 107th Terrace. Officers ordered Pentlin to get on the ground, the affidavit says, but he refused to follow their commands and continued to act erratically. Pentlin balled up his fists and assumed a fighting posture while stating, “I’m going to kill you all.”

A Kansas City police officer shot Pentlin with a taser and he fell on his back. While on the ground, Pentlin continued to resist arrest and tried to kick officers. While taking Pentlin into custody, he bit an officer on the right thigh, which caused an open wound with bruising and swelling. While officers waited for EMS to arrive, the affidavit says, Pentlin continuously slammed his head into the grass and attempted to bite several officers’ hands and fingers. Pentlin was transported to a local hospital by EMS.

An ATF agent with a police dog searched the area and found two firearms, a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a loaded Beretta 9mm semi-automatic handgun, under the deck of a residence. Officers also found two plastic baggies that contained approximately 4.03 grams of methamphetamine, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia in the stolen Focus Pentlin was driving.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Pentlin has prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and for possessing and distributing illegal drugs.

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 Byron Black. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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. 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Republic, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for using a 3-year-old child to produce child pornography and for possessing additional child pornography.

Vincent Dominy, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Dominy to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration, and ordered him to pay $5,000 in victim restitution.

On Sept. 23, 2021, Dominy pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force received a Cyber Tipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Aug. 22, 2020. Dominy transmitted multiple images of child pornography through his Yahoo! email account.

On Aug. 24, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Dominy’s residence. Dominy admitted to officers that he had received and distributed images of child pornography, some as young as toddlers. Dominy also admitted that he had taken photos of his sexual abuse of a 3-year-old child and sent some of the photos to other individuals via the internet.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man whose failed attempt to rob an Independence, Missouri, restaurant was thwarted when employees wrestled him and took away his gun was charged in federal court today.

Bryan C. Byers, 23, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.

Today’s criminal complaint charges Byers with one count of armed robbery, one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, Byers robbed Lucky Buffet, 2931 S. Noland Road in Independence, at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21. Byers, armed with a Glock handgun, approached two restaurant employees who were working near the sushi station in the restaurant. Byers allegedly pointed the gun at them and told them they had five seconds to give him the cash from the cash register or he would kill them. The employees opened the register drawer, the affidavit says, and Byers began taking money from the register. Both employees attacked Byers and took the gun from him. Byers was restrained until police arrived.

Byers, who was on the ground in the vestibule of the restaurant, was arrested and transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. Police officers found approximately $873 scattered on the floor of the restaurant.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Byers was on probation for the felony crimes of armed robbery and stealing a motor vehicle at the time of the alleged offense.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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. – The owner of a Kansas City, Missouri, gun store pleaded guilty in federal court today to selling components to convert firearms into machine guns, which he marketed on his website as “cell phone holders.”

Charles Lee Weston, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of illegally possessing a machinegun.

Weston, a federal firearms licensee, is the owner of Drum Magazines, LLC, at 4015 Sterling Avenue in Kansas City, Mo.

According to today’s plea agreement, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identified a website operated by Weston that was selling multiple items believed to be machineguns. Those items included a drop in auto-sear, which is intended to convert an AR-15 type firearm into a fully automatic firearm. Because the conversion devices were each a part designed and intended solely and exclusively for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, each device is considered a machinegun under federal law.

The device, however, was being marketed on the website as a “cell phone holder.” An undercover agent purchased the set of two devices online for $149.99.

An undercover agent visited Drum Magazines on Aug. 4, 2021. The undercover agent asked Weston if he had any “cell phone holders.” Weston retrieved two swift link auto sears (capable of quickly converting semi-automatic AR-type rifles to fully automatic) from the back of the store and gave them to the undercover agent. The agent asked Weston if the devices would work in 300 BLK or just .223-caliber. Weston replied, “Every caliber. It’s more of a trigger setup. As long as your mil-spec trigger. But ya, it’ll work. You got me answering questions correctly.” Weston, acknowledging that he had actually described the true purpose of the device, laughed and said, “The proper answer would be ‘Whatever phone you got, sir.’” Weston again laughed and then stated, “You the first one that got me to answer the question like that. I’m tired.” Weston added, “I hate this (expletive) country and the (expletive) laws they have.” The undercover agent paid Weston $324.82 for the two devices and one extended magazine and left the business.

On Aug. 26, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Drum Magazines and at Weston’s residence. Officers seized a box that contained Glock full auto switches and instructions and a piece of a suspected 3D printed auto sear.

Under federal statutes, Weston 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. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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 Sunrise Beach, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to failing to pay more than $2.8 million in payroll taxes from his business and more than $1.1 million in personal income taxes.

Rex Tarwater, 66, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of failing to pay over employment taxes and one count of failing to file personal income taxes.

Tarwater is the owner of Semper Blue Professional Services, Inc. Semper Blue provides off-duty police security for public venues, including the Sprint Center, Kansas City Live, and other locations.

By pleading guilty today, Tarwater admitted that he failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service payroll taxes withheld from Semper Blue’s employees’ paychecks. From 2015 through 2020, Semper Blue withheld more than $1.9 million in taxes from its employees’ paychecks, including federal income taxes, Medicare and Social Security taxes (commonly known as payroll taxes). However, during that time, Semper Blue made no payments to the Internal Revenue Service, which were due quarterly during each of those years. The total employment tax loss as a result of Tarwater’s failure to pay over withholding taxes was $2,739,712.

Tarwater also admitted that he failed to file personal income tax returns in tax years 2015 through 2020. The total personal income tax loss as a result of Tarwater’s failure to file personal income tax forms was $1,199,611.

Under federal statutes, Tarwater is subject to a sentence of up to six 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 Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Carthage, Missouri, man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after child pornography was found on his workplace computer.

Shane Tyler Barton, 55, was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Barton on Feb. 14, 2022.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the director of information technology for H.E. Williams, Barton’s employer, was alerted to a suspected virus on Barton’s company-issued computer that was in Barton’s office and connected to the business network. On Jan. 5, 2022, he observed an unauthorized anti-virus program on the computer and discovered numerous files that contained adult and child pornography. He notified management of the violation of company policy. While doing so, he noticed the files were being deleted. Fearing that Barton was possibly tampering with evidence, he locked Barton out of the network and his company-issued computer.

Barton was placed on leave, the affidavit says, pending the resolution of an internal investigation. He was instructed to turn over his company-issued iPhone. A forensic examination of the computer identified approximately 10,000 images and approximately 100 video files of suspected child pornography, the affidavit says, as well as additional video files of suspected child pornography on the iPhone.

Barton resigned from his position with the company a couple of weeks later.

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 Jessica R. Sarff. It was investigated by the FBI and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Missouri man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a $4 million drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine over three years.

Christapher Dean Parton, also known as “Big Baby,” 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On April 16, 2021, Parton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 1, 2017, to July 21, 2020, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

For approximately a year and a half, Parton was regularly provided one to two kilograms of methamphetamine each week by a drug trafficking organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. Parton, who transported the methamphetamine from Kansas City to the St. Joseph area for distribution, was found by the court to be involved in approximately 91 kilograms of methamphetamine. Additionally, Parton admitted he traded at least 50 guns, that he received through his drug distribution activities, for methamphetamine.

The entire drug trafficking organization received more than $4 million in exchange for the unlawful distribution of more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine, based on an average street price of $8,000 per kilogram of methamphetamine.

Parton is among 25 defendants charged in this case, and the first defendant to be sentenced.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

KC Metro Strike Force

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Louisville, Kentucky, man has been convicted of possessing more than two kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in a rental vehicle after he was stopped on Interstate 44 in Jasper County, Missouri.

Quennel Young, 31, was found guilty of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool issued the verdict today following a one-day bench trial that was held on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Young was arrested on July 26, 2020, when he was pulled over by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on Interstate 44 in Jasper County after the trooper observed Young commit multiple traffic violations.

The trooper searched Young’s vehicle. When the trooper searched the trunk, he saw the trunk lid liner was not secured tight against the trunk lid sheet metal. He pulled back the corner of the formed liner and found two duct-taped bundles that contained approximately 2.2 pounds of methamphetamine. In a later search of the vehicle, officers found three additional duct-taped bundles of methamphetamine hidden under the center console gear shift cover. All five bundles of methamphetamine weighed a total of approximately 5.59 pounds (2.539 kilograms).

Under federal statutes, Young 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 Special Assistant United States Attorney Cameron A. Beaver and Assistant United States Attorney Megan Chalifoux. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man was subdued by several passengers and flight attendants when he tried to open the exit door on an American Airlines flight en route to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, forcing the plane to land at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Missouri.

Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged with one count of assaulting and intimidating a flight attendant and thereby interfering in the performance of the flight attendant’s duties. Rivas remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Rivas was a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 1775 traveling nonstop from Los Angeles, Calif., to Washington, D.C., which was diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., at approximately 2:28 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, Rivas created a disturbance on the plane that escalated when he walked up to the cockpit area. Rivas grabbed some plastic silverware, removed the napkin wrapped around it, and placed the plastic silverware in his shirt sleeve and was holding it like a shank. A flight attendant told federal agents he felt threatened by the knife. Rivas then grabbed a small champagne bottle by the neck of the bottle and attempted to break the bottle on the counter. He began kicking and shoving the service cart into one of the flight attendants. 

Rivas, who is about six-feet, three-inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds, allegedly grabbed the handles used to manipulate the forward starboard aircraft exit door. Rivas positioned one foot on the aircraft door, the affidavit says, and began pulling hard on the handle with one hand, at first, and then both of his hands. A flight attendant grabbed a coffee pot and hit Rivas twice in the head with it. Several passengers came forward to assist the flight attendants, the affidavit says. One of the passengers, a police officer, began to struggle with Rivas and pulled him away from the door. A passenger punched Rivas in the jaw and another passenger grabbed his neck and pulled him to the floor. Passengers and flight attendants restrained Rivas until they could secure his hands and feet with zip ties and duct tape.

Rivas received medical treatment for a laceration on his head. Flight attendants told investigators they did not serve any alcohol to Rivas during the flight.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Missouri, sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for possessing child pornography.

Joseph Lynn Clark, 63, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 12, 2021, Clark pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. Clark, who has a prior state conviction for possessing child pornography, admitted that he uploaded child pornography to his Google account.

On Oct. 30, 2020, a detective with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting 92 files that appeared to be child pornography in Clark’s Google Photos account. On Jan. 27, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Clark’s residence and Clark was arrested. Officers seized Clark’s iPhones, laptop computer, iPad, and electronic storage devices.

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

Project Safe Childhood

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

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for methamphetamine trafficking after he received a large package of methamphetamine shipped from California to distribute locally.

Bryan Patton Tullous, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years and 11 months in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 2, 2021, Tullous pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

On April 26, 2019, law enforcement officers intercepted a package from California that had been shipped to the residence shared by Tullous and co-defendant Cassiopeia Marie Blaise, 37. The package contained approximately 5.6 pounds of methamphetamine in five individual packages that weighed approximately one pound (453 grams) each, for a total of 2.209 kilograms of methamphetamine. Officers conducted surveillance of the residence as the package was delivered to the front porch. Both Tullous and Blaise were outside; Blaise retrieved the package and took it inside the residence while Tullous was in a neighbor’s yard. Officers took both of them into custody and executed a search warrant of the residence. Officers found the opened package hidden under clothing at the foot of the bed in the master bedroom.

Officers also found a dozen firearms in various areas of the residence, including a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber pistol laying near the package in the bedroom. In a safe in the garage, officers found a Mossberg .22-caliber rifle, a Snake Charmer 410 shotgun, a Browning .223-caliber rifle, a Bear River .38-caliber revolver, and a Charter Arms .38-caliber revolver. The Snake Charmer 410 shotgun had the stock cut off, making it useable as a pistol grip-type weapon.

Tullous admitted that he ordered the package and paid $12,000 for the methamphetamine.

Blaise pleaded guilty on Aug. 31, 2021, to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the East Central Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Webb City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of two victims, an 8-year old and a 16-year old.

Harley Wayne Schrader, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Schrader to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Schrader will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On July 20, 2021, Schrader pleaded guilty to two counts of the sexual exploitation of a child. Schrader admitted that he solicited pornographic images from an 8-year-old child victim and that he sent her pornographic images of himself through Facebook Messenger. Schrader also admitted that he solicited pornographic images from a 16-year-old victim he met through a video game.

A Joplin, Mo., police officer took a report on July 7, 2017, that Schrader was sending inappropriate pictures to the child victim through Facebook Messenger. Investigators also found sexually explicit images of the child victim that had been sent to Schrader through Facebook Messenger.

On Oct. 4, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Schrader’s residence and seized his cell phone. During an interview with officers, Schrader also admitted that he met a 16-year-old female through the video game Immortal Knight, and she sent him nude images of herself. Investigators found multiple messages between Schrader and the 16-year-old victim on his cell phone, as well as images of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force, and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Missouri, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for selling millions of dollars in stolen catalytic converters to companies in Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana.

James Spick, 56, was charged in a 26-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City on Tuesday, Feb. 8. The indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Spick’s arrest and initial court appearance.

Spick, the owner of J&J Recycling in Independence, is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines since Jan. 1, 2018, and 25 counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.

In his salvage business, Spick primarily buys and resells catalytic converters rather than other automotive parts or recyclable items. Catalytic converters convert toxic gases and pollutants from internal combustion engines into less-toxic pollutants. Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum, rhodium, and palladium. Stolen catalytic converters have value because of the precious metals, which can be extracted from the converters.

Beginning in at least 2014, Spick bought catalytic converters at his business from individuals whom he paid in cash. The cash payments attracted thieves, the indictment says, particularly drug addicts. Spick resold the catalytic converters to companies in Missouri, Texas, and Louisiana. The Texas and Louisiana companies processed the catalytic converters to extract the precious metals.

Over a four-year period from Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2021, the indictment says, Spick received over $11 million from the sale of catalytic converters.

According to the indictment, Spick withdrew almost $2.5 million in cash from his bank accounts to buy catalytic converters from 2018 to 2021. From Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2021, Spick allegedly sold catalytic converters, including stolen catalytic converters, to a Kansas City, Mo., scrap company for an approximate total of $3,621,791, and to a Lee’s Summit, Mo., scrap company for an approximate total of $206,084.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Mahoney and Nicholas Heberle. It was investigated by the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man who was involved in a shooting, which resulted in injuries to several people, was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing ammunition.

Dyqwon Deonte Brown, 28, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to eight years in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 20, 2021, Brown pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to court documents, Brown was heavily involved in illegally trafficking firearms through his Facebook account. He even engaged in this conduct while in the hospital being treated for a gunshot wound.

The investigation began when Brown was taken to Research Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 21, 2019, with a gunshot wound to the leg. Hospital security officers found a Glock handgun magazine loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition and one loose round of ammunition in Brown’s pants pocket. He refused to tell police officers his name or provide any information regarding how or where he was shot.

Security footage from the hospital showed Brown was dropped off by a gold Ford Fusion with black rims. Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the scene of a shooting at 2924 Mersington Ave., Kansas City, shortly before Brown was dropped off at the hospital. According to court documents, several innocent bystanders, including young children, were put in grave danger during the shooting. Witnesses told officers that people involved in the shooting occupied a gold Ford Fusion with black wheels. A witness also identified Brown as one of the parties involved in the shooting. Witnesses described one of the shooters wearing the same clothes that Brown was wearing when he arrived at the hospital.

Officers contacted two people suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived at the scene of the shooting – a man with wounds to his head and a woman with wounds to her arm. Officers recovered nine 9mm shell casings, 13 .40-caliber shell casings, and 22 7.62x39 shell casings.

Investigators reviewed Brown’s Facebook profile, which used the vanity name “Hush Hoodstar.” Brown uses the moniker “Hush” for his rap music. On March 24 and April 6, 2019, Brown posted photos of himself holding firearms. The first photo contains an assault-style firearm and Glock handgun with an extended magazine. The second photo contains four separate handguns. Brown’s Facebook messages shows he was heavily involved in the trafficking of firearms. Brown’s private Facebook messages indicate he was buying, selling, and trading firearms on nearly a daily basis, although as a convicted felon it was illegal for him to possess any firearms or ammunition. In those messages, Brown often sent photos depicting several firearms he purported to possess at that time that were available for sale or trade.

On April 30, 2019, nine days after the shooting, Brown posted a photo of himself depicting bandages to his left hip or thigh area, the location of his gunshot wound. According to court documents, Brown bragged about the shooting in his Facebook conversations, admitting that he was involved in the shooting and that the shooting was retaliation for a firearm stolen from him.

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 two prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery and a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon (carrying a concealed .40-caliber handgun).

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner and Special U.S. Attorney Sarah Rasalam. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Missouri, man who is a registered sex offender was identified in two separate investigations and pleaded guilty in federal court today to sending obscene materials to minors.

Brent Deadmon, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Deadmon, a registered sex offender, has prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy and statutory rape, and prior misdemeanor convictions for sexual misconduct and furnishing child pornography to a minor.

By pleading guilty today, Deadmon admitted that he sent obscene material – including pornographic images of himself – to two covert employees of the FBI, whom he believed were under the age of 16, who were involved in two separate and unrelated investigations.

Between March 8 and 29, Deadmon engaged in sexually explicit conversation on the FASTMEET application with a person he believed to be 14 years old, but who was actually an online covert employee in the FBI’s Chicago division. During those conversations, Deadmon expressed his desire in graphic terms to meet in person and have sexual contact. Deadmon provided his cell phone number and they communicated by texting from March 29 to May 1, 2021. Deadmon sent multiple pornographic images and videos of himself and others.

In a second, unrelated, investigation, Deadmon sent several pornographic images of himself and others and at least one video via the Meet24 application to a person he believed to be 15 years old, but who was actually an online covert employee in the FBI’s St. Louis division. In those conversations, from April 17 to June 7, 2021, Deadmon expressed an interest in meeting in person and offered to pay $500 to have sex with the purported 15-year-old and her 10-year-old sister.

On June 23, 2021, law enforcement officers located and arrested Deadmon. Officers found images of child sexual abuse on his cell phone.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Deadmon mutually agree that the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole is appropriate. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the 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. – Four defendants have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a conspiracy that converted large amounts of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine at a rented house within 1,000 feet of George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas City, Missouri.

Jose Vieyra-Lopez, 37, a citizen of Mexico; Megan Eubanks, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., and Victor Suarez-Gallardo, 33, of Kansas, each pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, Feb. 3. Vieyra-Lopez and Suarez-Gallardo each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school from Jan. 1, 2014, to May 18, 2018. Eubanks pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Co-defendant Ruben Ortiz-Vieyra, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., a lawful permanent resident of the United States from Mexico, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy within 1,000 feet of a school on Jan. 12, 2022.

In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Vieyra-Lopez, Suarez-Gallardo, and Ortiz-Vieyra each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school. Suarez-Gallardo, Ortiz-Vieyra, and Eubanks each also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing or using firearms with drug trafficking. Ortiz-Vieyra also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess or use firearms with drug trafficking.

According to their plea agreements, Ortiz-Vieyra supplied methamphetamine to Eubanks. Vieyra-Lopez was the drug runner for Ortiz-Vieyra.

On April 26, 2018, a confidential informant purchased one-half pound of methamphetamine from Eubanks for $3,000 in a transaction that involved Ortiz-Vieyra. On May 2, 2018, the confidential informant purchased one pound of methamphetamine from Eubanks for $5,000. Ortiz-Vieyra was also involved in the transaction. On May 8, 2018, the confidential informant purchased one-half pound of methamphetamine. Ortiz-Vieyra and Vieyra-Lopez were involved in the transaction.

On May 15, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Eubanks’s residence. Officers seized methamphetamine, marijuana, a Ruger .380-caliber pistol, a box of ammunition, a counterfeit $100 bill, and drug paraphernalia.

On May 17, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Kansas City, Mo., residence controlled by Ortiz-Vieyra and Suarez-Gallardo. There were no furniture or other items inside the residence to make it appear occupied. Instead, officers found a black cooking stand that had a pan sitting on top that contained liquid methamphetamine. The residence is approximately 484 feet from George Melcher Elementary School.

Ortiz-Vieyra admitted that he rented houses where he converted liquid methamphetamine into a crystallized form of methamphetamine for sale, including approximately five pounds of methamphetamine approximately one week before his arrest on May 17, 2018. Ortiz-Vieyra admitted that he sold methamphetamine to Eubanks and others. The next day Suarez-Gallardo, who had also been observed at the residence where methamphetamine was being converted, was arrested. Officers found acetone and a Berretta .45-caliber firearm at his residence. Suarez-Gallardo identified Ortiz-Vieyra as the conversion cook. Suarez-Gallardo admitted that he had distributed 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine from the conversion lab.

Under the terms of their plea agreements, the defendants must forfeit to the government $1,080,000, which was received for the unlawful distribution of methamphetamine, based on a sale price of $600 per ounce and the distribution of 1,800 ounces (112.5 pounds) of methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, each of the defendants 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 sentencings 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. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to ramming into two law enforcement vehicles while attempting to flee while in possession of methamphetamine and firearms.

Antony M. Quinones, also known as “Droopy,” 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough 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. Marshal deputies tracked Quinones, who was being sought for absconding from supervision, to a Quality Inn on Nov. 13, 2018. Quinones left the hotel with two females. As he approached his vehicle, deputies attempted a vehicle pin. Quinones hopped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and attempted to flee from the parking lot. Quinones accelerated his vehicle into two occupied vehicles, causing significant damage. Quinones fled and eventually wrecked into a light pole. He got out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. As he fled, he pulled a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol from his waistband just before he was apprehended. 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 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Quinones is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five 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 Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshal Service, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to leading an arson and insurance fraud conspiracy and to illegally possessing firearms.

Wandale J. Fulton, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Thursday, Jan. 27, to one count of conspiracy to use fire in the commission of wire and mail fraud, one count of arson in the commission of a federal felony, and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Fulton also pleaded guilty to the charge contained in a separate federal indictment, one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

By pleading guilty, Fulton admitted that he participated in an arson and insurance fraud conspiracy from 2013 through 2019. Fulton and co-conspirators bought houses in Kansas City, Mo., insured them, had them burned or vandalized, and then filed insurance claims on the houses.

Conspirators made false claims on insurance applications, such as claiming the houses were rented or occupied, that there were valuable contents in the houses, and that the houses had been renovated. After obtaining insurance, a co-conspirator would set fire to the house. The homeowner would then claim a total loss with the insurance company.

Fulton also admitted that he and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent loan applications to Heartland Community Credit Union. They also presented fraudulent bills of sale for automobiles to Heartland to obtain loans to purchase cars. The plea agreement cites four fraudulent automobile loans obtained by conspirators from the credit union, ranging from $18,300 to $25,200. In each of those instances, Heartland issued a check to the loan applicant and the checks were delivered directly to Fulton, who deposited them into his own bank account.

ATF agents executed a search warrant at Fulton’s residence on March 26, 2019. During the search, agents found a Taurus .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in a shoebox in the bedroom closet and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 semi-automatic firearm in a backpack in a closet. Agents later found a Taurus 9mm pistol in a computer bag.

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

Four co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Under federal statutes, Fulton is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole for use of fire in the commission of a federal felony. 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 Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Kansas City, Mo., Fire Department.