Western District of Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Louis, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today to his role in a sex trafficking conspiracy.

 

Calvin Anthony Miller, also known as “Cerius Blacc,” 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison without parole.  In addition to the conspiracy, Miller was sentenced to two counts of transporting an individual across state lines for prostitution.

 

Miller admitted that he engaged in the conspiracy from approximately March 2016, to Oct. 15, 2016, which victimized two women whom he forced to engage in prostitution.

 

This case is the result of Operation Cross Country X, an international FBI investigation of sex trafficking in partnership with local law enforcement agencies.

 

According to court documents, a federal undercover agent assisted the Independence, Mo., Police Department, posing as a customer attempting to hire a prostitute for sex. On Oct. 14, 2016, the undercover agent located an online listing that included provocative and partially nude photos along with a description and some possible acts that she was willing to do. The agent contacted her and she agreed to meet him at a hotel.

 

This witness provided law enforcement officers with information on Miller, who she said was a violent pimp, and his cousin, co-defendant Henry Dailey, 37, also of St. Louis. Dailey pleaded guilty on June 26, 2017, to transporting an individual across state lines for prostitution.

 

The witness led law enforcement to a hotel in Independence where they encountered Victim 1 and Victim 2. Victim 2 told law enforcement officers that Miller was violent and abusive. She said she met Miller in March 2016 and had never been allowed to go back home. Victim 2, who said Miller broke her hip during one violent encounter, told officers, “If I tell you anything he will kill me” and started crying. She stated that she did not believe the police could provide enough security to protect her from “these guys.”

 

Victim 1 told the detective that she wanted away from the group and just wanted to go home.

 

While at the hotel, agents determined that Miller had rented two rooms on the third floor. Agents made contact with Miller on the third floor. Miller was noncompliant with law enforcement requests, was directed to the ground, and cuffed.

 

Each of the victims told law enforcement officers that Miller required them to work in a prostitution ring based in St. Louis, threatening them with violence and death if they tried to leave, and took all of their money. They also said that Miller forced them to use drugs to keep them addicted and dependent on them.

 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore. It was investigated by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Independence, Mo., Police Department. v

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Grandview, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a three-months-long conspiracy that included at least 27 armed robberies, culminating in the armed robbery of a Walgreens in Blue Springs, Mo., in which a suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.

Deonte J. Collins-Abbott, 23, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to commit robbery and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

By pleading guilty today, Collins-Abbott admitted that he committed eight armed robberies between Feb. 3, 2016, and March 24, 2016. Collins-Abbott admitted that he and co-conspirators robbed businesses in Blue Springs, Independence, North Kansas City, Raytown, Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., at gunpoint.

Collins-Abbott admitted that he and two other men robbed the Walgreens at 9th and Duncan in Blue Springs on March 24, 2016. According to court documents, once inside, one of the robbers placed a firearm to the back of an employee’s head and took money from the front register. Collins-Abbott and Jermon Seals of Shawnee, Kan., went over the pharmacy counter and took prescription grade cough syrup at gunpoint from the pharmacist. They left the business but were confronted by law enforcement officers as they were walking back to the vehicle. They failed to comply with the officers’ commands, according to the court documents, and Seals turned towards the officers, pointing a gun in their direction. Officers returned fire and Seals was struck in the exchange. Collins-Abbott and Thomas were apprehended by officers after a short foot pursuit.

Co-defendants Demetrius Nelson, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., and Parrise K. Black, also known as “Kilo,” 26, of Grandview, have also pleaded guilty.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Collins-Abbott will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Caine and David Raskin. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the North Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman who embezzled from her family’s company was sentenced in federal court today for failing to pay taxes on at least $466,000.

Tammera Goodman, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Goodman to pay $144,631 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and the state of Missouri.

On Oct. 16, 2017, Goodman pleaded guilty to making false statements on a tax return.

Goodman worked as office manager for a business owned by her family, Restoration Remediation Resources Corporation d/b/a Rainbow International of Kansas City (Re-Corp). From 2011 to 2015, Goodman unlawfully used Re-Corp funds to pay at least seven personal credit cards, which she used exclusively for personal spending. She also wrote at least 26 fraudulent unauthorized Re-Corp checks to herself, and used unauthorized Re-Corp funds to pay her personal mortgage.

From 2011 to 2015, Goodman embezzled at least $466,274 from Re-Corp. Goodman stole money from re-Corp on hundreds of occasions, according to court documents, and on dozens of occasions forged her brother’s name. She spent the money she embezzled on retail purchases, restaurants, cash, and vehicles, among other items. She did not declare the embezzled income on her federal or state income tax returns. Re-Corp did not want to prosecute her for her embezzlement and allowed her to continue to work at the company.

Goodman pleaded guilty to a specific charge of claiming $33,164 in income on her federal income tax return for tax year 2015. In reality, Goodman’s income for 2015 (including stolen money) was $151,236.
 
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Missouri Department of Revenue Criminal Investigation Bureau.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Shane E. Jones, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Jones as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. The court ordered the federal sentenced be served consecutively to Jones’s sentence in two unrelated state cases.

On Feb. 8, 2018, Jones pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was arrested following a traffic stop by Independence, Mo., police officers for having different license plates on the front and rear of his vehicle. Officers found a loaded Hi-Point .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a box of ammunition under the front driver’s 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. Jones has 17 adult felony convictions, including five prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance. He had been out of prison, and on probation, for approximately four months prior to his arrest.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for recording cell phone videos of his sexual assaults upon a 9-year-old victim.

Richard James York, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 31, 2018, York pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. York admitted that he used a nine-year-old minor (identified as Jane Doe) to produce child pornography from March 1, 2017, to March 16, 2017. York sexually assaulted the child victim and made several videos of the assault with his cell phone. Those videos were discovered by another person, who contacted law enforcement.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Additional charges were brought today against the owner of a Kansas City, Mo., day care center who, along with the center’s director, was previously indicted by a federal grand jury for a conspiracy to fraudulently receive as much as $556,000 in federal benefits. 

Sharif Karie, 40, of Olathe, Kan., was charged with 15 counts of money laundering in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s 23-count superseding indictment also contains the original eight counts charged against Karie and Sheri Beamon, 47, of Kansas City, Mo. 

Karie, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, is the owner and CEO of a day care center established under two businesses and two names for the same location, with the same key employees: KARIE Day Care Center, LLC, and Tima Child Care Center, LLC, at 1019 Admiral Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Beamon is the director of KARIE/Tima Childcare Center.

The original indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on Jan. 12, 2017, was the result of a nationwide sweep that targeted childcare center fraud schemes. The national law enforcement operation in Missouri and six other states was the result of separate, but related, federal investigations into childcare center fraud that resulted in a loss of more than $1 million to the government.

The money-laundering charges relate to financial transactions in which Karie allegedly attempted to conceal the source of the proceeds of illegal activity.

The indictment alleges that Karie and Beamon participated in a conspiracy from October 2013 to June 2016 to submit false claims to the government. They allegedly billed a federal grant program to provide childcare services to low-income families for more hours and children than actually attended the daycare center. As much as $556,000 was fraudulently billed in connection with this scheme, the indictment says. 

The Child Care and Development Fund provides daycare subsidies for low-income families where the parents are employed or engaged in job training. Providers contract with the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and submit claims electronically. 

According to the indictment, pole cameras were installed near the day care center and captured footage of the entrances and exits of the building during two time periods in 2015 and in 2016. Timesheets and billing records were reviewed and compared to the children seen on the pole cameras being dropped off and picked up from the daycare center during that time. There were significant discrepancies, the indictment says, between the timesheets, claims submitted and the pole camera footage. 

In addition to the conspiracy, Karie and Beamon are charged together in one count of theft of public money, three counts of aiding and abetting each other to commit aggravated identity theft and three counts of wire fraud. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Karie and Beamon to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged scheme.

According to the indictment, the state conducted a compliance review of the daycare center’s billing for May 2014 and July 2014. The review found several attendance records missing. The review also identified 14 out of the 15 families with children at the center who had a parent employed there. With only two classrooms, the indictment says, it is improbable that parents were not caring for their own children. One of these parents reported that her job was contingent on having all of her children placed in care at KARIE Day Care Center so her child care would be paid by the state. This same 2014 audit found several discrepancies on the time sheets submitted to the state.

Subsequent unannounced inspections at KARIE Day Care Center found the facility in violation of state regulations pertaining to child care licensing rules, the indictment says, including health and safety, staff ratios and the maintaining of attendance records. Each of the inspections resulted in violation findings. 

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, the FBI, the Missouri Department of Social Services – Division of Legal Services Investigations and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Ohio university professor was indicted by a federal grand jury today for traveling to Kansas City, Mo., to engage in sexual activity with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Kevin Connor Armitage, 52, was charged with traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Armitage on May 31, 2018.

Armitage is a professor of American Studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, an FBI online covert employee was monitoring public message threads on a website that hosts a discussion forum and private messaging services for men and women to communicate regarding prostitution. Armitage indicated that he would be visiting the Kansas City area and was interested in a recommendation.

Armitage, whom the affidavit describes as a senior member of the website, has 576 postings that detail his prior experiences with prostitutes in Ohio, Arizona, Tijuana, Kansas and Colorado.

Armitage was provided a phone number for a different FBI online covert employee, who was posing as a 14-year-old female. After several conversations, the affidavit says, Armitage agreed to meet the 14-year-old’s cousin at a restaurant on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. An FBI undercover employee, posing as the cousin, met Armitage at the restaurant and he was arrested.

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 Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the FBI.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Clinton, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to a $4.7 million investment fraud scheme in which he defrauded 89 investors who believed they were purchasing cattle for resale at a profit.

Cameron J. Hager, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

Hager, who operated 5A Holdings, LLC, admitted that he engaged in the fraud scheme from July 2015 to September 2017. Hager solicited victims to invest in a “cattle fund” that was used to purchase herds of cattle to be sold later at a substantial profit, although he never actually purchased or intended to purchase any cattle.

Hager received $4.7 million dollars from 89 investors, with investment amounts from $1,000 to $267,000. Hager deposited $394,074 into his business bank account. He also used the proceeds of the scheme, among other things, to make substantial payments on the mortgage of his 46.6-acre residential property (currently listed for sale with an asking price of $899,000), and to purchase a Ford F-150 pickup truck, a Toyota 4Runner, and two Winnebago travel trailers. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, all of Hager’s interest in that property must be forfeited to the government.

Hager convinced his victims that he was locating herds of cattle that farmers in distress needed to sell. He told them he would use investor funds to buy such herds, then transport the cattle to pastures/feed lots owned by himself or his company, 5A Holdings, where the cattle would be cared for, fattened, and eventually sold to slaughterhouses where Hager had “contacts.” Hager consistently represented that these transactions would produce a net “return” of from 23 to 28 percent on each investment.

Investors filed complaints with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Securities Division, and that office opened an investigation. Hager sent the Securities Division a written response to the allegations of fraud; in that response he admitted that there were no cattle and that he had made false representations to investors.

The wire fraud charge relates to e-mails sent by Hager to a victim investor. The money laundering charge relates to Hager’s withdrawal of $21,500 from his business bank account to purchase a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The FBI determined that the money withdrawn by Hager for this transaction was derived from his wire fraud scheme.

Under federal statutes, Hager is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Larson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey Perkins Rock is handling the forfeiture. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri Secretary of State, Securities Division.
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Three Sedalia, Mo., men are among nine men who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana in Pettis, Cooper, Boone, Morgan, Pulaski and Jackson counties.

Zachary Scott Nutt, also known as “Tuna,” 35, a Sedalia native living in Los Angeles, Calif.; Christopher Patrick Martin,  38, and Joshua Ryan Gilmore, 36, both of Sedalia; Charles Christopher Thomas, 36, of Otterville, Mo.; James Devon Garrett, 31, of Fulton, Mo.; Melvin Frank Lovejoy, 36, of Waynesville, Mo.; Nicholas Anders Glaholt, 35, of Independence, Mo.; James Edward Smalley III, 36, of Laytonville, Calif.; and Brian Michael Rodriguez, 39, of Willits, Calif.; were charged in a 20-count superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., on May 3, 2018. 

The indictment has been unsealed. Rodriguez, the final co-defendant to be arrested, appeared in federal court today for his arraignment. This superseding indictment replaces an indictment returned on July 5, 2017, and adds seven new defendants.

The federal indictment alleges that all nine of the co-defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana in Pettis, Cooper, Boone, Morgan, Pulaski and Jackson counties from Oct. 5, 2010, through June 13, 2017.

In addition to the conspiracy, several defendants are charged in various counts with possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and with crossing state lines to promote the conspiracy. Additionally, Martin is charged with two counts of maintaining a place for the storage and distribution of marijuana.

Thomas is also charged with illegally possessing a firearm. The indictment alleges that Thomas, an unlawful user of a controlled substance, was in possession of a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Nutt, Glaholt and Smalley are charged with participating in a money-laundering conspiracy.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Nutt and Glaholt – who have leadership roles in the conspiracy – obtained marijuana from multiple sources, including a grow operation in California. They have directly supervised and executed the transportation and distribution of the marijuana obtained from California, the affidavit says. 

Law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Glaholt’s residence and another residence in Kansas City, Mo., on June 13, 2017. At Glaholt’s residence they seized approximately $20,000 believed to be drug proceeds, several individual packages of marijuana, marijuana wax, digital scales, vacuum sealers, ledgers, computers, tablets and notes. At the Kansas City residence investigators seized approximately 261 pounds of marijuana (including packaging), cell phones, digital scales, drug packaging equipment, eight empty duffel bags, .22-caliber ammunition and drug ledgers from a safe.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Nutt, Glaholt, Smalley and Martin to forfeit to the government all property obtained from the drug-trafficking conspiracy or used to commit the conspiracy, including Martin’s commercial property for his business, Old 50 Auto & Marine in Sedalia; Smalley’s residential property in California; $22,339 seized from a bank account; and a money judgment equal to the amount obtained by each defendant involved in the conspiracy.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Sedalia, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Cooper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the East Central Drug Task Force and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
 

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

Stephen T. Gross, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

On May 24, 2017, Gross pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Strafford police officers arrested Gross on Aug. 27, 2016, after his bond was revoked in an unrelated state case. Officers searched his residence and seized a Taurus .38-caliber revolver, a Fox 16-gauge sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number, a plastic bag that contained 284.63 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

According to court documents, Gross has six prior drug-related offenses, several stealing related offenses, an assault, and has been convicted several times of driving without a license.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Larison. It was investigated by the Strafford, Mo., Police Department, the Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team (COMET), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually abusing a child and taking sexually explicit photographs of his victim.

Anthony Cotter, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Monday, June 18, 2018, to the sexual exploitation of children.

By pleading guilty, Cotter admitted that he received and distributed child pornography over the Internet. Cotter also admitted that he had a substantial amount of child pornography on his computer and cell phone.

Cotter told investigators he had been sexually abusing a minor female, identified in court documents as Jane Doe #1, and taking sexually explicit photographs of Jane Doe #1. Depictions of Cotter sexually abusing the child victim were recovered from his digital storage devices.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Cotter will be sentenced to 30 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to leading a conspiracy that distributed at least a kilogram of heroin in the Springfield area.

Roosevelt Simpson, 60, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to distribute at least a kilogram of heroin and to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Simpson admitted that he was a leader in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from Sept. 1, 2012, to April 3, 2017. Simpson purchased heroin from Chicago, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo., which was transported to Springfield by vehicle. Simpson supplied heroin to other mid-level dealers, including co-defendants Romele E. Freeman, 53, and Kenneth M. Smith, 60, both of Springfield. Freeman and Smith, in turn, supplied other heroin dealers. Co-defendant Najee Boston, 37, of Springfield, personally transported heroin from St. Louis and also supplied Smith. Freeman, Smith and Boston also have pleaded guilty.

Simpson admitted that, beginning in April 2014, he purchased two to three ounces of heroin every two to three weeks. Simpson was “fronted” the heroin for $3,000 per ounce and profited approximately $4,000 per ounce. Simpson also admitted that he utilized a Rossi .38-caliber revolver for protection and aggression in furtherance of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

During the course of the investigation, agents were able to infiltrate the drug-trafficking organization and buy heroin directly from Simpson and others. Today’s plea agreement cites several instances of undercover officers purchasing heroin from Simpson.

On April 12, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Simpson’s residence. They seized a total of 4.1 grams of heroin, $6,062 (some of which was hidden in a pair of shoes in a bedroom closet and above the cabinets in the kitchen), and the loaded Rossi revolver in a metal pot under the kitchen counter. 

On April 3, 2017, law enforcement officers observed Simpson selling heroin to another person at a nearby convenience store. Officers searched his residence again and seized 4.5 grams of heroin.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Simpson will be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. 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 Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An Emporia, Kansas man has been convicted by a federal trial jury of sexually assaulting two victims, including a 5-year-old who was assaulted at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Craig Ralston, 39, was found guilty on Friday, June 15, 2018, of one count of the aggravated sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age and one count of crossing state lines with the intent to commit rape.

Ralston is currently incarcerated in Kansas after being sentenced to nine years and two months in state prison. Ralston pleaded no contest in a 2009 Kansas case to two counts of aggravated indecent liberties involving a 12-year-old victim.

Ralston met both of his victims in the federal case while attending a church in St. Roberts, Mo.  Ralston was serving in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood when he sexually abused a 5-year-old child, which occurred between Nov. 1, 2003, and May 20, 2005.  Ralston has been discharged and is no longer active in the military.

In 2008, while living in Kansas City, Mo., Ralston raped an 18-year-old victim multiple times. Ralston also took the 18-year-old victim to Knoxville, Tenn., where he was picking up a vehicle that had been purchased for his then-wife to have upon her return from a missionary trip to India. Ralston raped the victim again while they were in Tennessee. 

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., deliberated for seven hours before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, ending a trial that began Monday, June 11, 2018.

Under federal statutes, Ralston 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 Ami Harshad Miller and Randall Eggert. It was investigated by the FBI.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Crane, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.

Kenneth A. Hoffman, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri. The leaders of the drug-trafficking conspiracy were Kenneth R. Friend, 47, of Springfield, and Kenna Harmon, 39, of Republic, Mo., who obtained pound amounts of methamphetamine from sources in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma for distribution in the Springfield area. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 29 co-defendants. In total, the Friend/Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine from June 1, 2013, through Nov. 29, 2014.

Hoffman, who pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on Dec. 8, 2016, admitted he purchased methamphetamine from Harmon, which he distributed to others. During the course of the conspiracy, Hoffman was found in possession of over 768.5 grams of methamphetamine and $3,258. After the conspiracy, Hoffman was found by law enforcement in possession of an additional 774 grams of methamphetamine.

Hoffman has a prior state felony drug conviction for the distribution, delivery, or manufacture of a controlled substance.

Friend pleaded guilty on April 11, 2018, and awaits sentencing. Harmon pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 29, 2018, to 21 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Harmon’s husband, Daniel Harmon, was also a leader of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. In December 2013, Daniel Harmon was stopped by law enforcement officers outside of St. Louis. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, $60,000 and a handgun. Daniel Harmon was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. After Daniel Harmon’s arrest and incarceration, Kenna Harmon continued to lead the drug-trafficking organization in its distribution of methamphetamine.  

Hoffman is among 24 co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case. The remaining five defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for selling stolen firearms.

O’Ceonna S. Thomas-Weston, 23, of St. Joseph, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 28, 2017, Thomas-Weston pleaded guilty to selling a stolen firearm. Co-defendant Ronnie Lee Martin III, 22, of St. Joseph, has also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

Thomas-Weston admitted that she sold a stolen Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle to a confidential informant. Thomas-Weston contacted the confidential informant and indicated she had an AR-15 style rifle for sale and wanted $1,200 for the rifle. The confidential informant negotiated the price down to $900. Thomas-Weston told the confidential informant she hoped the person that bought the rifle didn’t get caught with it because it was a stolen military rifle.

Thomas-Weston also admitted that she had earlier sold a Taurus .38-caliber revolver and a Taurus 9mm pistol to the confidential informant. She had agreed to sell the confidential informant a .25-caliber pistol, but that sale never occurred. Thomas-Weston and Martin also sold the confidential informant a stolen Remington 30-06 caliber rifle.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing methamphetamine.

Elisardo Meza, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 14 years in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 3, 2018, Meza pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine. Meza admitted that he sold more than 200 grams of pure methamphetamine to a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

This is Meza’s sixth felony conviction, five of which involved drugs, and his second federal felony conviction in this district involving drugs. Meza was on probation at the time of the offense.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Two California men have been charged in federal court after being stopped on Interstate 44 with five kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in their vehicle.

Margarito Morales-Alvarez, 28, of California, and Jorge Armando Camacho-Sanchez, 38, a citizen of Mexico residing in California, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Monday, June 11, 2018.

The federal criminal complaint charges Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Jasper County, Mo., from June 8 to 10, 2018.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped the 2015 Nissan Altima being driven by Morales-Alvarez on Sunday, June 10, 2018, on Interstate 44 in Jasper County. The trooper became suspicious because Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez could not identify the specific city of their destination and the vehicle they were driving belonged to a third party, whom they had difficulty identifying.

The trooper deployed his canine, which indicated the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. The trooper searched the vehicle and found five cellophane-wrapped plastic bags, each containing approximately a kilogram of methamphetamine, in a large speaker box in the trunk of the vehicle. Morales-Alvarez later told investigators that they were en route to Indiana to deliver the vehicle.

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 Jody M. Larison. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Bossier City, Louisiana, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Lake of the Ozarks area.

Kenneth Harvey Hudson, 29, of Bossier City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 11 years in federal prison without parole.

On Feb. 8, 2018, Hudson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Camden County, Mo.

According to court documents, investigators received information from a confidential source that several individuals from Louisiana were in possession of methamphetamine and guns. Officers contacted Hudson, who was driving a Malibu with co-defendants Sir Master Ford, 29, of Greenwood, La., and Philip Daniel Dennington, 30, of Bossier City, as passengers, at a gas station in Osage Beach, Mo. Officers searched Hudson’s vehicle and found a bag that contained 922 grams of methamphetamine and four firearms, including a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, a loaded Glock .40-caliber pistol, a loaded Smith & Wesson .22-caliber revolver and a loaded Roam/Sontheim .22-caliber revolver.

In 2011, Hudson was convicted of distributing methamphetamine in Louisiana and sentenced to five years in prison. He was on parole for that offense at the time of his arrest in this federal case. Hudson admitted to a long history of substance abuse and methamphetamine use.

Ford was sentenced on Feb. 8, 2017, to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dennington pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A convicted sex offender in Reeds Spring, Mo., who pretended to be a woman online in order to solicit sexually explicit photos from a teenage boy, was sentenced in federal court today.

Jeffrey Raymond Everett, Jr., 23, of Reeds Spring, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Everett to spend the rest of his life under supervised release following incarceration.

On Feb. 1, 2018, Everett pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Everett has a prior state conviction for possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, another student turned in the 16-year-old child victim’s cell phone at school because he found nude photos of the victim on the phone. Investigators found Facebook Messenger conversations between the victim and “Alecia Valentine,” who was later determined to be Everett.

In those messages, Everett – pretending to be Alecia Valentine – asks for sexually explicit images and videos of the victim, who sent numerous sexually explicit images and videos to Everett. The victim told law enforcement officers that he had engaged in several chat sessions with Alecia Valentine. Everett sent him pictures of a nude female, purportedly of Alecia Valentine, and requested that he send sexual pictures and videos of himself in return, which he did.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Monett, 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." 
 

A former executive of a Springfield, Missouri charity, who was also an Arkansas lobbyist, pleaded guilty in federal court today to bribing Arkansas elected officials in a multi-million-dollar scheme, and then along with other charity executives, embezzling millions of dollars from the Springfield health care organization.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison for the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.

Milton Russell Cranford, aka “Rusty,” 57, of Rogers, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of federal program bribery.  Cranford was an executive at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Springfield, and oversaw the charity’s operations and lobbying efforts in the state of Arkansas. Cranford also operated three lobbying firms: The Cranford Coalition, The Capital Hill Coalition and Outcomes of Arkansas.

By pleading guilty today, Cranford admitted that he and other Preferred Family Healthcare executives paid bribes to Arkansas State Senator Jonathan Woods, Arkansas State legislator Henry Wilkins IV, a person identified in court documents as “Arkansas Senator A,” and others, to provide favorable legislative action for Cranford, his clients, and Preferred Family Healthcare. In exchange for the bribes paid by Cranford, the officials identified in the Information steered Arkansas General Improvement Fund (GIF) money to Preferred Family Healthcare and other Cranford clients; held up agency budgets; requested legislative audits; and sponsored, filed and voted for legislative bills that favored the charity and Cranford clients.

The additional income gained by Preferred Family Healthcare from Cranford’s bribes enabled Cranford and other executives of the charity to engage in multiple schemes to embezzle, steal, and unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of the charity, including, but not limited to, diverting charity funds to for-profit companies owned by the executives, causing the charity to make rental payments to properties owned by Cranford and the executives; paying for their personal expenses using corporate credit cards; and causing the charity to lend significant funds to Cranford personally, and to for-profit companies owned by other charity executives.  The executives also caused the charity to misapply its funds for unlawful contributions to the campaigns of elected public officials and causing the charity to spend substantial amounts of funds on lobbying and political advocacy.

In addition, Cranford entered into an illegal kickback scheme whereby Cranford paid over $600,000 in illegal kickbacks to a charity executive in exchange for more than $3.5 million in payments made to The Cranford Coalition.  Cranford also acknowledged his role in a second illegal kickback scheme involving the charity’s contract with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based political operative Donald Andrew Jones, also known as “D.A.” Jones, and another charity employee, former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper.  In exchange for Cranford’s role in facilitating the charity’s contract with Jones for lobbying and political advocacy, under which the charity paid Jones almost $1 million, Cranford received kickbacks totaling $219,000 from Jones, $18,000 of which Cranford provided to Cooper, and Cooper received another $45,000 directly from Jones.  In separate but related cases, both Jones and Cooper previously entered guilty pleas acknowledging their roles in that kickback scheme.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Marco A. Palmieri and Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former executive of a Springfield, Missouri charity, who was also an Arkansas lobbyist, pleaded guilty in federal court today to bribing Arkansas elected officials in a multi-million-dollar scheme, and then along with other charity executives, embezzling millions of dollars from the Springfield health care organization.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison for the Western District of Missouri made the announcement.

Milton Russell Cranford, aka “Rusty,” 57, of Rogers, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of federal program bribery.  Cranford was an executive at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc. (formerly known as Alternative Opportunities Inc.), a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Springfield, and oversaw the charity’s operations and lobbying efforts in the state of Arkansas. Cranford also operated three lobbying firms: The Cranford Coalition, The Capital Hill Coalition and Outcomes of Arkansas.

By pleading guilty today, Cranford admitted that he and other Preferred Family Healthcare executives paid bribes to Arkansas State Senator Jonathan Woods, Arkansas State legislator Henry Wilkins IV, a person identified in court documents as “Arkansas Senator A,” and others, to provide favorable legislative action for Cranford, his clients, and Preferred Family Healthcare. In exchange for the bribes paid by Cranford, the officials identified in the Information steered Arkansas General Improvement Fund (GIF) money to Preferred Family Healthcare and other Cranford clients; held up agency budgets; requested legislative audits; and sponsored, filed and voted for legislative bills that favored the charity and Cranford clients. 

The additional income gained by Preferred Family Healthcare from Cranford’s bribes enabled Cranford and other executives of the charity to engage in multiple schemes to embezzle, steal, and unjustly enrich themselves at the expense of the charity, including, but not limited to, diverting charity funds to for-profit companies owned by the executives, causing the charity to make rental payments to properties owned by Cranford and the executives; paying for their personal expenses using corporate credit cards; and causing the charity to lend significant funds to Cranford personally, and to for-profit companies owned by other charity executives.  The executives also caused the charity to misapply its funds for unlawful contributions to the campaigns of elected public officials and causing the charity to spend substantial amounts of funds on lobbying and political advocacy. 

In addition, Cranford entered into an illegal kickback scheme whereby Cranford paid over $600,000 in illegal kickbacks to a charity executive in exchange for more than $3.5 million in payments made to The Cranford Coalition.  Cranford also acknowledged his role in a second illegal kickback scheme involving the charity’s contract with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based political operative Donald Andrew Jones, also known as “D.A.” Jones, and another charity employee, former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper.  In exchange for Cranford’s role in facilitating the charity’s contract with Jones for lobbying and political advocacy, under which the charity paid Jones almost $1 million, Cranford received kickbacks totaling $219,000 from Jones, $18,000 of which Cranford provided to Cooper, and Cooper received another $45,000 directly from Jones.  In separate but related cases, both Jones and Cooper previously entered guilty pleas acknowledging their roles in that kickback scheme.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Offices of the Inspectors General from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This is a combined investigation with the Western District of Arkansas, the Eastern District of Arkansas, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Marco A. Palmieri and Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Buffalo, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using Twitter to transmit threatening communications against several persons, including two FBI employees and two former members of the military and their families, on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS. 

Safya Roe Yassin, 40, of Buffalo, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to nine years in federal prison without parole.

According to court documents, Yassin engaged in a concerted and prolonged effort to support the online activities of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). ISIS is a foreign terrorist organization that has encouraged and taken credit for attacks against civilians throughout the world, including in the United States. By maintaining numerous social media accounts and posting violent messages to them, Yassin was steadfast and outspoken in her support for ISIS and its murderous mission. She communicated directly with at least one person she believed to be an ISIS operative overseas, and admitted that on two occasions she helped ISIS threaten and terrorize the four victims in this case, whom ISIS targeted for no reason other than their honorable service to the United States.

On Feb. 28, 2018, Yassin pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting threatening communications across state lines. Yassin admitted that she maintained a series of Twitter accounts under the pseudonym “Muslimah” that she used to post, or tweet, messages in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Yassin also re-posted, or re-tweeted, messages she knew were authored by ISIS operatives residing overseas.

Beginning in May 2015, Yassin communicated over Twitter with a person identified in court documents as “Individual A,” whom she believed was an ISIS operative located outside the United States. They discussed ISIS’s publishing of personally identifying information of U.S. government employees and others, to threaten violence against those persons on behalf of ISIS. From May 2015 through at least October 2015, Yassin and Individual A routinely communicated about promoting new pro-ISIS accounts to like-minded followers before Twitter suspended them.

Yassin knew that Individual A used Twitter accounts, including those that Yassin promoted, to tweet personally identifying information of government employees and others and to threaten those persons on behalf of ISIS. Yassin admitted that, knowing Individual A’s intent to threaten, she re-retweeted the personally identifying information on her Muslimah accounts several times so that the information could be more widely disseminated.

Throughout the month of August 2015, ISIS operatives tweeted additional personally identifying information, which Yassin re-tweeted to her followers, knowing that the intent of the messages was to threaten on behalf of ISIS. Yassin admitted that on Aug. 24, 2015, she re-tweeted one such message that contained the phrase “Wanted to kill,” followed by the first and last name, status as an employee of the FBI, city of residence, zip code, and phone number of Victim 1. In the same communication, she repeated the same “Wanted to kill” phrase, followed by the same personally identifying information for Victim 2. Yassin intended this communication as a threat against Victims 1 and 2.

Yassin also admitted that on Oct. 8, 2015, she re-tweeted a message from Individual A that linked to a publically viewable document containing the name and home address of Victim 3, a U.S. service member, along with photos of Victim 3, his family, and the names of his wife and children. The document further stated, “Once again I leave these details online to cause havoc in his life & for my brothers and Al-Qaeda in the U.S. to eventually hunt him down & kill him.” 

The linked document also contained the name and home address of Victim 4, a former U.S. service member who had been the previous target of threats on Twitter by ISIS. Yassin knew that Individual A had previously threatened Victim 4 with violence and called him ISIS’s “number one target.” Yassin admitted that she intended to aid and assist Individual A in threatening Victims 3 and 4.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Casey and Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the FBI.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., woman and a Nixa, Mo., man were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.

Melody W. Carpenter, 35, of Springfield, and Anthony A. Hatfield, 34, of Nixa, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. Carpenter and Hatfield were each sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri. The leaders of the drug-trafficking conspiracy were Kenneth R. Friend, 47, of Springfield, and Kenna Harmon, 39, of Republic, Mo., who obtained pound amounts of methamphetamine from sources in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Oklahoma for distribution in the Springfield area. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 29 co-defendants. In total, the Friend/Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine from June 1, 2013, through Nov. 29, 2014.

Both Carpenter and Hatfield pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Carpenter and Hatfield admitted they purchased methamphetamine from Friend and Harmon, which they distributed to others.

On Nov. 3, 2014, officers intercepted communications between Friend and Carpenter in which Carpenter appeared to be brokering a large methamphetamine transaction for Friend. Officers followed Friend and Carpenter to a residence in Springfield, then followed Friend and Carpenter back to Friend's residence. A short time later, Carpenter left Friend's house, and was detained by DEA agents. Agents seized approximately four to six ounces of methamphetamine from Carpenter and a loaded Davies Industries .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol. Carpenter told investigators she had just brokered a two-pound methamphetamine transaction between Friend and another conspirator.

During the course of the wiretaps in this case, hundreds of communications were intercepted between Carpenter and others where she was arranging methamphetamine transactions or financial transactions involving the payment for methamphetamine. During the conspiracy, Carpenter received ounce amounts of methamphetamine at least once per week and redistributed them in the Springfield area.

On Nov. 17, 2014, the DEA intercepted calls between Friend and Hatfield indicating that Hatfield was arranging to purchase a half pound of methamphetamine from Friend. Officers saw Friend and Hatfield meet at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield. They arrived in separate vehicles and Hatfield was seen getting into the vehicle with Friend. After Hatfield got out and drove off in his own vehicle, he was stopped by Springfield police officers. Officers found a half pound of methamphetamine (approximately 225 grams) under his driver's seat.

During another intercepted telephone call, Harmon and Hatfield discussed Harmon’s child finding a Crown Royal bag that contained approximately one pound of methamphetamine inside of it, which Hatfield had left in the child’s bedroom.  At one point during the conversation, Harmon put her child on the phone to talk with Hatfield. Harmon and Hatfield agreed to meet at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Republic so that Hatfield could receive some of the methamphetamine back. Hatfield stated he would buy presents for Harmon’s children to make up for what happened. Harmon said she would bring the children along with her to the Wal-Mart parking lot to meet Hatfield so he could give them the presents.

Friend pleaded guilty on April 11, 2018, and awaits sentencing. Harmon pleaded guilty and was sentenced on May 29, 2018, to 21 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Harmon’s husband, Daniel Harmon, was also a leader of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. In December 2013, Daniel Harmon was stopped by law enforcement officers outside of St. Louis. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, $60,000 and a handgun. Daniel Harmon was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

After Daniel Harmon’s arrest and incarceration, Kenna Harmon continued to lead the drug-trafficking organization in its distribution of methamphetamine.  

Carpenter and Hatfield are among 21 co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case. The remaining eight defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
 

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

Russell S. Lawson, 45, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 20, 2017, Lawson pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Lawson admitted that he distributed at least 408.61 grams of pure methamphetamine during the conspiracy.

Undercover law enforcement officers and a confidential source made numerous purchases of methamphetamine from several members of the conspiracy, including Lawson. In his plea agreement, Lawson specifically admitted to a series of drug transactions that occurred at his residence from Nov. 10, 2015, to June 16, 2016.

On Nov. 17, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lawson’s residence and seized a Browning .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun from Lawson as well as three rifles from his residence. Lawson admitted that he had been in possession of the handgun on Jan. 11, 2016, when he told an undercover officer that he expected to be robbed and hoped that they would come to the house so he could “headshot” them. Officers also discovered additional methamphetamine in the residence.

Lawson is the fifth defendant to be sentenced, among six defendants who have been convicted in this case. William L. Dunkin, 47, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on May 24, 2018, to 10 years and nine months in federal prison without parole. Derek A.F. Fields, 33, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on Feb. 22, 2018, to four years in federal prison without parole. Tiffani L. Campbell, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on Jan. 31, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Barbara L. Daniels, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced on Jan. 11, 2018, to three years in federal prison without parole. Paul V. Chavez, 29, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26, 2018.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Colorado man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after traveling to Kansas City, Mo., to meet an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed to be a mother with her 7-year-old daughter, for sex.

Ryan Edward Mausner, 42, of Basalt, Colo., was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Mausner on May 25, 2018.

The federal indictment charges Mausner with one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, and one count of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Mausner was actually communicating (via the Kik messaging application and texts) with an undercover FBI agent, who portrayed a single mother with a 5-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. Mausner allegedly engaged the undercover agent in several private chat sessions in which he said he wanted to engage in sexual activity with the mother and daughter.

In the course of these chats, the affidavit says, Mausner made numerous sexually suggestive or overtly sexually explicit comments including BDSM terminology about the mother and daughter.

Mausner traveled from Denver, Colo., to Kansas City, Mo., on May 25, 2018, and arrived at Kansas City International Airport at about 5 p.m.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the FBI.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Tim Garrison announced that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime and drug trafficking.

In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas. Among the 190 violent crime prosecutors are three new prosecutors being added to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the Western District of Missouri. A new federal prosecutor will be added to the staff in each of the Kansas City, Springfield and Jefferson City offices.

 “The Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis—and today we are sending in reinforcements,” said Sessions. “We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is 'the coin of the realm.'  When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed. I have personally worked to re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades.”

“We are confronting violent crime throughout the district,” said Garrison. “Missouri has been hit hard by methamphetamine trafficking and opioid abuse, along with the violent crime that drug trafficking inevitably brings. Three new prosecutors, strategically stationed in each of our district’s offices, will provide additional resources for us to aggressively prosecute these dangerous criminals.”
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A registered sex offender in Springfield, Mo., has been sentenced in federal court for receiving and distributing thousands of images of child pornography over the Internet.

Anthony Richard Salois, 51, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Friday, June 1, 2018, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Salois to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration. Salois, who has a prior state conviction for sexual abuse involving a minor, has remained in federal custody since his arrest in July 2014.

Salois, who pleaded guilty on Feb. 1, 2018, admitted that he received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between Sept. 16 and 20, 2013. Salois utilized a peer-to-peer file-sharing network to download child pornography.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Salois’s residence on Oct. 13, 2013, and seized two desktop computers. Investigators found 3,973 images of child pornography, 50 multimedia files of child pornography, 641 images of child erotica and 39 multimedia files of child erotica on those computers.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull, II. It was investigated by the FBI and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the sexual exploitation of a child and to illegally possessing a firearm.

Corey Dean Frasher, 42, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to the charges contained in an April 6, 2017, federal indictment. Frasher remains in federal custody.

The investigation began on Jan. 30, 2017, when law enforcement officers received two Cyber Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In the CyberTips, Yahoo! Reported that an individual (later identified as Frasher) had uploaded images of child pornography to his Flickr account.

Officers executed a search warrant at Frasher’s residence on Feb. 22, 2017, and seized a computer tower as well as a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun and a loaded Harrington & Richardson 16-gauge shotgun. Investigators examined the computer tower and found a series of child pornography images and videos that were taken at Frasher’s residence. The images and videos depicted Frasher engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor victim.

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

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Las Vegas, Nev., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Greene County, Mo.

Adrian Ortiz-Corrales, 44, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 14 years in federal prison without parole.

On Aug. 17, 2017, Ortiz-Corrales pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, participating in a conspiracy to commit money laundering, six counts of money laundering, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

In total, the quantity of pure methamphetamine involved in the conspiracy, which lasted from October 2013 to Feb. 29, 2016, weighed in excess of 4.5 kilograms. The methamphetamine distributed during the conspiracy, according to court documents, primarily originated from Mexico and was smuggled to Missouri.

According to court documents, a steady stream of purchasers came to the home of the conspiracy’s leader, co-defendant Patrick R. Brigaudin, 55, of Springfield, to purchase methamphetamine from him, or to deliver methamphetamine to him.

On Feb. 29, 2016, co-defendant Eduardo Diaz, 54, also of Las Vegas, transported approximately 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms) of methamphetamine and six pounds of heroin to Brigaudin’s residence. When he arrived in Missouri, Diaz picked up Ortiz-Corrales and they traveled together to Brigaudin’s residence to deliver the methamphetamine and heroin. While they were removing the methamphetamine from a vehicle, they and Brigaudin were arrested.

Brigaudin was sentenced on March 21, 2018, to 30 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to a related money-laundering conspiracy.

Diaz was sentenced on April 4, 2018, to 12 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Ortiz-Corrales is among 13 defendants who have been sentenced in this case. One co-defendant has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing, while another co-defendant is a fugitive.

This case is being prosecuted by United States Attorney Timothy A. Garrison and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Ozark, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, COMET (the Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team) and the South Central Drug Task Force.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Republic, Mo., woman has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.

Kenna Harmon, 39, of Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, to 21 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On March 17, 2016, Harmon pleaded guilty to being a leader, along with her husband, Daniel Harmon, in the drug-trafficking conspiracy as well as a money-laundering conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

In total, the Harmon drug-trafficking organization was responsible for the distribution of over 45 kilograms of methamphetamine from June 1, 2013, through Nov. 29, 2014. The Harmons obtained pound amounts of methamphetamine from sources in Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo., and in Oklahoma for distribution in the Springfield area.

     Beginning in 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by other agencies, investigated one of the largest methamphetamine distribution rings in southwest Missouri. The investigation resulted in the indictment of 29 co-defendants.

In December 2013, Daniel Harmon was stopped by law enforcement officers outside of St. Louis. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered approximately four pounds of methamphetamine, $60,000 and a handgun. Daniel Harmon was indicted in the Eastern District of Missouri and pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

After Daniel Harmon’s arrest and incarceration, Kenna Harmon continued to lead the drug-trafficking organization in its distribution of methamphetamine.  Kenna Harmon directed the organization to purchase large amounts of methamphetamine from various sources of supply and provided distributive amounts of methamphetamine to co-defendants. Kenna Harmon, in order to distribute the large amount of methamphetamine that she was responsible for selling, stored methamphetamine in several residences in Greene and Polk Counties, and directed several individuals to assist in maintaining those residences.

On Nov. 27, 2014, Kenna Harmon was stopped in her blue BMW 545i while traveling in Springfield. During a search of Kenna Harmon’s vehicle, officers discovered a small amount of methamphetamine, $4,604 and marijuana, all of which was found on either her person or within the vehicle.  A search warrant was executed at her residence the same day, where agents found approximately $20,000, approximately 5 ½ pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded Jennings .22-caliber pistol (in a nightstand in her bedroom).

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Kenna Harmon must forfeit to the government the house she was building in Halfway, Mo. Kenna Harmon paid approximately $324,185 in cash for the construction of the residence, which was from drug-trafficking proceeds. The proceeds were paid in installments to a local building contractor that Kenna Harmon hired. She told the contractor that she had inherited the cash, which was not true. She used the property to promote her continued sale of methamphetamine by storing methamphetamine at the residence. Harmon must also forfeit a firearm, five vehicles used by the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, jewelry purchased with drug proceeds and approximately $61,000.

Harmon is among 19 co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case. The remaining 10 defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randall D. Eggert, Nhan D. Nguyen and Cynthia J. Hyde. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Camdenton, Mo., man who molested a 10-year-old child was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Duffy Dean Woodman, 52, of Camdenton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Woodman to a 10-year term of supervised release following incarceration.
 
Woodman pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2017. The investigation began in October 2015 when the Laclede County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received a report that a 10-year-old child had been molested by Woodman at a residence in Laclede County, Mo., and at Woodman’s residence in Camdenton.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Woodman’s residence on Nov. 9, 2015, and seized two laptop computers, two tablets, three cell phones and a 700MB CD-RW. One of the tablets contained 350 images of child pornography. The investigator also found 54 child erotica images and 12 bestiality images in unallocated space. An examination of one of the laptop computers revealed numerous search terms consistent with child pornography activity. Numerous images of child erotica and cartoon images depicting children engaged in sexual activity were found on the laptop.

On Jan. 29, 2016, the Camden County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department issued a statement seeking the public’s assistance in locating Woodman, who was considered a fugitive from justice. The next day, Woodman turned himself in to the Republic, Mo., Police Department.

Woodman is currently charged in Morgan County Circuit Court with molesting a 10-year-old victim and awaits sentencing on state charges of statutory sodomy and child molestation in the first degree.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI, the Camden County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm.

Bryan Abascal, 25, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Abascal was sentenced as an armed career offender due to his prior felony convictions.

On July 10, 2017, Abascal pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. When Abascal was arrested during a traffic stop, a Kansas City police officer searched his vehicle and found a Bersa .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended clip magazine loaded into it.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Abascal has two prior felony convictions for sale of a controlled substance and three prior felony convictions for domestic assault.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Mexican national, stopped en route from Arizona to Ohio, was sentenced in federal court today for possessing at least five kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute.

Adriana Gutierrez-Ramirez, also known as Adriana Peralta, 43, a citizen of Mexico residing in Phoenix, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 10 years and one month in federal prison without parole.

Gutierrez-Ramirez was found guilty at trial on Dec. 5, 2017. Co-defendant Luis J. Duarte, 60, also a citizen of Mexico residing in Phoenix, pleaded guilty to possessing at least 500 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute and was sentenced on Jan. 24, 2018, to 29 months in prison.

Duarte was driving a 2016 Ford F350 cargo utility truck, with Gutierrez-Ramirez in the passenger seat, when they were stopped by a state trooper on I-44 in Strafford, Mo., on Feb. 25, 2017. Duarte had rented the truck in Phoenix two days earlier for a one-way trip.

When the trooper searched the vehicle, he found a kilogram-sized package of cocaine inside a cardboard box containing clothing in the cargo area of the truck and placed Duarte and Gutierrez-Ramirez under arrest. Four more kilogram-sized packages of cocaine were found during a search of the vehicle after it was transported to headquarters.

Duarte admitted that he was solicited by an unidentified person to drive the truck to Ohio. That person gave Duarte $1,500 to rent the truck and for expenses during the trip. Duarte told investigators he was unsure how much he was being paid for the trip but expected to receive payment when he reached the destination. When Duarte picked up the truck, Gutierrez-Ramirez – whom he had never met – was already sitting inside.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband cell phones and other items to inmates at the Jackson County Detention Center.

Marion Lorenzo Byers, also known as “Cuddy,” 36, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to two years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered the federal sentence be served consecutively to whatever revocation sentence may be imposed in state court as a result of Byers violating his probation for a DUI conviction in Buchanan County, Mo.

Byers, who pleaded guilty on Dec. 6, 2017, admitted that he conspired with others – including a corrections officer and an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center – to smuggle contraband to inmates between May 2 and June 26, 2017. Byers also admitted that he delivered contraband to a co-conspirator, who in turn delivered the contraband to a corrections officer at the detention center, who was to deliver the contraband to an inmate.

Co-defendant Jalee Caprice Fuller, 30, of Independence, Mo., the former corrections officer, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing. Co-defendants Carlos Laron Hughley, 33, an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center, and Janikkia Lashay Carter, 37, both of Kansas City, Mo., have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

In a separate but related case, another former corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Center, Andre Lamonte Dickerson, 27, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to two counts of using a telephone in furtherance of the unlawful activity of acceding to corruption, related to a public servant taking a bribe in return for violating his legal duty. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31, 2018.
  
The Travel Act

The Travel Act makes it a crime to use a facility of interstate commerce (such as telephone calls) with the intent to further unlawful activity. The Travel Act’s definition of “unlawful activity” includes bribery in violation of the laws of a state. Missouri state law makes it a crime for a public servant to solicit or accept a bribe in return for violating a known legal duty. This crime is known under Missouri state law as acceding to corruption, and it is a companion or sister statute to the Missouri state statute that makes it a crime for someone to bribe a public servant. These two Missouri state statutes criminalize bribery conduct involving a public servant, both for the person paying the bribe and for the public servant taking the bribe.

Byers admitted that he conspired to violate the Travel Act by using a facility of interstate commerce (a telephone) to facilitate the promotion of an unlawful activity, that is, acceding to corruption.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy U.S. Attorney Gene Porter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the FBI and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the Missouri Department of Corrections, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Jackson County Detention Center.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.

Evelyn L. Cooper, 46, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 27 years and six months in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 21, 2017, Cooper pleaded guilty to leading a conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and some amount of heroin from October 2015 until her arrest on Sept. 28, 2016.

Undercover officers from the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and confidential informants working at the direction of law enforcement purchased methamphetamine and heroin from Cooper, as well as her co-defendant and boyfriend, Theodis D. Johnson, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., on several occasions in 2015 and 2016. 

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cooper’s residence on Aug. 1, 2016, and recovered approximately 76.5 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 17 grams of heroin. On Sept. 14, 2016, law enforcement applied for and obtained a search warrant for Cooper’s Facebook account. Officers were able to estimate, conservatively, that 200 grams of methamphetamine was trafficked through Cooper’s account.

When Cooper and Johnson were arrested, Johnson was in possession of a loaded Taurus .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Johnson pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced on May 1, 2018, to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Erin R. Markley, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and was sentenced on Jan. 16, 2018, to six years in federal prison without parole.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.

Santiago Soto-Garcia, 25, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 2, 2017, Soto-Garcia was found guilty at trial of one count of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Soto-Garcia was also convicted of a forfeiture allegation that requires him to forfeit to the government $7,000 that was seized by law enforcement officers and was derived from the proceeds of the conspiracy.

Co-defendants Destiny O’Brien, also known as “Destiny Smith,” 21, of Joplin, and Michael L. Gonzalez, also known as “Chavez,” 25, of Texas, have pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and for possessing firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Evidence introduced during the trial proved to the jury that Soto-Garcia and O’Brien, assisted by Gonzalez, were multiple-pound distributors of methamphetamine in the Joplin area from late 2014 to August 2015.  

After an investigation that began in February of 2015, Soto-Garcia, O’Brien, and Gonzalez were arrested on Aug. 11, 2015, following a traffic stop by a Joplin police officer. Soto-Garcia was the driver of a silver 2006 BMW, with O’Brien a passenger in the front seat and Gonzalez in the rear driver’s side passenger seat. When Gonzalez rolled down his window, the officer saw two pistols on the floorboard by Gonzalez’s feet and all three defendants were instructed to get out of the vehicle. The Hi-Point .40-caliber firearm and the Kel-Tec .223-caliber firearm, along with loaded magazines, were removed from the vehicle. 

After the occupants and the firearms were removed from the vehicle, a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the BMW from outside of the vehicle.  When the officer attempted to open the door of the vehicle to conduct an interior search, he found the doors were locked.  

The officer determined that Soto-Garcia had locked the doors with the key fob for the BMW and asked Soto-Garcia for the key fob. Instead of handing the fob to the officer, Soto-Garcia took the fob out of his pocket and threw it under the patrol vehicle. As Soto-Garcia began struggling with the officers, O’Brien ran over to the patrol vehicle and obtained the key fob. O’Brien then resisted officers as well. After obtaining the fob and arresting O’Brien and Soto-Garcia, officers searched the vehicle. Joplin police officers found a package that contained approximately a pound of methamphetamine and then arrested Gonzalez as well. 

That same day, investigators searched Soto-Garcia’s residence and found a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun, a Tanfoglio .40-caliber handgun, a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun, a North American Arms 22-caliber magnum revolver, ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, a money counter, and approximately five grams of methamphetamine.  Investigators then searched another residence being used as a stash house by Soto-Garcia and found a Phoenix Arms .22-caliber handgun and approximately 852.3 grams of methamphetamine hidden in an air vent.

This case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Garrison, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall C. Eggert and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Larison. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, ATF, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Joplin Police Department, and the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team.
 

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Neal Braden, age 61, of Kissimmee, Florida, pled guilty today to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Janelle M. Miller, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Braden, who remains in custody pending his sentencing on September 28, 2018, faces a minimum sentence of 5 years of imprisonment and up to 20 years of imprisonment on the distribution count and up to 10 years of imprisonment on the possession count.  Sentences of imprisonment may be concurrent or consecutive at the discretion of the Court. The Court will also impose a term of supervised release of between five (5) years and life, and Braden will be required to register as a sex offender.

As part of his guilty plea, Braden admitted that he downloaded videos of child pornography over the internet and that he possessed those videos on his laptop computer in his commercial truck when he was stopped by the New York State Police for failing to have the appropriate Highway Use Tax documentation displayed on his vehicle. A search of Braden’s laptop computer revealed that he possessed 19 videos depicting child pornography. Braden also pled guilty to an indictment pending in the Western District of Missouri that charged him with possessing child pornography in 2015.

This case was investigated by the New York State Police-Troop D, the Morgan County (Missouri) Sheriff's Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albany and Kansas City Field Offices.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey J. L. Brown (NDNY) and Ashley Turner (WDMO).

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A man whose crime spree began with a carjacking in Branson, Mo., and included terrorizing a grandmother and granddaughter at gunpoint in her apartment before he was tasered and arrested inside a Springfield, Mo., church, was sentenced in federal court today.

Alberto Colina, Jr., 35, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum penalty. The court also ordered Colina to pay $2,500 in victim restitution.

On Sept. 21, 2017, Colina pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of stealing a firearm. 

According to court documents, Colina started his crime spree on Jan. 5, 2016, by stealing a truck in Branson, Mo. The truck, which had been left running by the owner, contained a double barrel rifle. 

The next day, a witness reported Colina for a possible burglary at a residence in Branson. When law enforcement arrived, Colina attempted to flee the scene in the stolen truck; however, he rammed the reporting witness’s vehicle during his flight, while the witness was inside the vehicle, and then fled on foot.

Colina then found his way to an apartment complex where he forced his way into an apartment at gunpoint. The 63-year-old resident of the apartment, identified in court documents as E.R., was home alone with her 2-year-old granddaughter.  Colina knocked at the door of E.R.’s apartment at about 1:30 p.m. When she opened the door, Colina – wearing a black mask and holding a rifle – pushed the rifle in her face. She grabbed the barrel but he pushed his way into her apartment. Colina struck her on the side of the face and head butted her, causing her to fall to the floor next to her granddaughter. E.R. attempted to reach the balcony to yell for help, but Colina forced her back into the apartment and hit her in the back of the head with the stock of the rifle.

For the next two hours, Colina terrorized E.R. and her two-year old granddaughter, and he ransacked her home. He forced E.R. to drink a liquid containing alprazolam and hydrocodone, which caused her to become very drowsy and occasionally lose consciousness. He stole numerous items from E.R., including cash, firearms, and prescription medications.

After Colina left her apartment, E.R. called the police and was taken to the hospital. She received staples to her scalp due to a laceration, and treatment for a fractured finger and possible fractured rib. Toxicology reports confirmed that E.R. had opiates and benzodiazepines in her blood.

Colina ended his crime spree by breaking into a church in Springfield, Mo. A stolen van, belonging to Springfield Pool and Spa, was parked outside the church. Colina was located inside the church. Colina refused to comply with law enforcement’s commands and had to be tasered.

Under federal statutes, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Colina has two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, two prior convictions for resisting arrest, and prior felony convictions for possessing burglary tools and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia.

Colina has pleaded guilty in a separate state case to robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and assault. Colina awaits sentencing in Taney County Circuit Court on those convictions.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Branson, Mo., Police Department and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the armed robbery of a local jewelry store and a carjacking.

Paul Lloyd, 34, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Lloyd to pay $7,615 in restitution.

On Jan. 19, 2017, Lloyd pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines.

According to court documents, Lloyd entered Select Jewelers in Joplin on March 17, 2016. He approached an employee and asked to see several pieces of jewelry, selected a necklace for purchase, and walked to the cash register. Lloyd then produced a firearm and demanded that the clerk “give me all the jewelry.” Lloyd then stated “I’m not kidding,” and discharged the firearm into the wall. The clerk opened the cash register and gave him the money; Lloyd grabbed several pieces of jewelry from a display case and left the store.

The bullet fired by Lloyd penetrated the wall of the jewelry store and traveled into the adjoining restaurant, which was then occupied by a number of patrons. No one suffered any injuries.

Two days later, on March 19, 2016, Lloyd stole a Ford Mustang from its owner at gunpoint. The owner of the Mustang told law enforcement that Lloyd claimed his girlfriend had kicked him out of his home and that he needed a ride. The owner of the Mustang drove Lloyd to the intersection of Central and McKee in Joplin, where Lloyd asked to be dropped off. When the owner of the Mustang pulled to the side of the road, Lloyd produced a firearm and ordered him to get out. Lloyd then drove the vehicle away.

Law enforcement officers were able to determine that the vehicle was in Cherokee County, Kan., by tracing the location of the victim’s cell phone, which had been left in the Mustang. Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputies located the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Lloyd led the deputies on a chase until he crashed the vehicle into a fence and fled on foot. Deputies were able to apprehend Lloyd after his foot became entangled in a barbed wire fence and they deployed a taser. Deputies recovered a loaded SCCY 9mm firearm next to the driver’s side door of the Mustang.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Lloyd, who was released from prison six months prior to the jewelry store robbery, has three prior felony convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon, to prior felony convictions for attempting to elude a police officer, three prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and prior felony convictions for stealing a motor vehicle, burglary, escape from custody, running a roadblock and placing a bodily fluid on a police officer.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Cherokee County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Mark Damon Dunn, 32, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Dunn to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration.

Dunn, who pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2017, admitted that he used the Internet and a cell phone to attempt to entice a minor victim to engage in illicit sexual activity from June 1, 2016, to July 13, 2016.

According to court documents, Dunn attempted to coerce a 15-year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit activity on multiple occasions. He repeatedly asked the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to send him videos and/or images of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Dunn also sent the victim nude images of himself.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield 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 former business owner was sentenced in federal court today for providing false information in order to receive a $1.45 million loan, and for failing to pay employment taxes for the now-defunct business.

Clinton Tackitt, 44, of Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Tackitt to pay $1,571,578 in restitution to the Small Business Administration, Guaranty Bank and the IRS.

On April 19, 2017, Tackitt pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements on a loan application and one count of failing to pay over taxes.

Tackitt applied for a $1,450,000 SBA-guaranteed loan for his business, Allied Roofing Systems, LLC, on May 9, 2012. Tackitt admitted that the loan application he submitted to Guaranty Bank was false and incomplete. Tackitt failed to disclose all of his financial debts as required and failed to truthfully disclose an accurate financial status of his company or a complete listing of the debts he and his business owed, in that the company was heavily in debt and was about to claim bankruptcy. Tackitt also failed to disclose that a third party assisted him in the preparation and presentation of the application.

Tackitt also admitted that he failed to pay over to the government $262,066 in payroll taxes that he collected from his employees. He also failed to pay over the employer’s share of FICA taxes, which total $395,699. Beginning during the second quarter of 2012, ending on June 30, 2012, and continuing on until the dissolution of Allied Roofing Systems on Dec. 31, 2013, Tackitt collected federal employee taxes from the salaries paid to the individuals employed with his company. Tackitt, through his company, willfully failed to pay over all of the taxes collected from his employees.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Texas man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of his role in an elaborate, multi-million-dollar fraud scheme in which conspirators impersonated North Kansas City-based Cerner Corporation in business and legal activities. 

Suresh Mitta, also known as Suresh Reddy or Mitta Suresh, 50, of Richardson, Texas, was found guilty of the single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud contained in a Nov. 16, 2016, federal indictment.

Mitta was the chief technology officer (CTO) for several related entities owned and operated by Albert Davis, 57, also of Richardson. Conspirators engaged in a scheme to use Cerner Corporation’s reputation and standing in the medical field to manipulate business transactions and court proceedings in their favor. Multiple victims suffered millions of dollars in losses from Aug. 25, 2008, to Feb. 19, 2015.

Criminal conduct involved perjured testimony, doctored trial exhibits, a manipulated multi-million dollar civil verdict, the use of fake people with fake email accounts, impersonated companies, fake business documents and a phalanx of over 70 entities with more than 50 bank accounts.

Davis, who pleaded guilty to leading the conspiracy in a separate but related case, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on April 24, 2017. The court also ordered Davis to pay $19,151,555 in restitution to the victims of his fraud scheme. Four additional co-conspirators (in separate but related cases) also have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

In order to impersonate Cerner Corporation, Conspirators created a fake Cerner business entity for a similarly-named company, Cerner, LLC. Conspirators opened a fake Cerner bank account, registered a fake Cerner Internet domain and leased virtual office space for a fake Cerner address in Kansas City, Mo. They created fictitious employees from Cerner Corporation – including both fictitious identities and impersonating actual employees – to communicate with others. Conspirators fabricated documents, price quotes, agreements and invoices, which were all made to appear to be authentic Cerner Corporation documents, when they were not.

Conspirators impersonated Cerner Corporation in the fraudulent sale of a purported newly developed MRI system to Dallas Medical Center (DMC), which paid over $1 million to what they believed was Cerner Corporation, but which turned out to be nothing more than one of Davis’ shell companies. 

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Mitta, impersonating a Cerner employee, represented himself as the company’s senior physicist in meetings with the president of DMC and their attorneys.

When DMC was not acting quickly enough on the deal, conspirators created fake e-mail accounts for prominent cardiologists in Dallas. Conspirators then used these fake email accounts to draft e-mails, which stated that these cardiologists could not wait to get the MRI system at DMC. Conspirators then forwarded these e-mails to DMC, which created the impression of demand for the system at DMC. Conspirators also provided “references” for DMC to check, which turned out to be more fake doctors and co-conspirators playing the role of satisfied business partners.

Conspirators provided false and misleading information and testimony during the litigation of several lawsuits. The false and misleading testimony was regarding business deals where the conspirators had impersonated Cerner Corporation.

For example, when Dallas Medical Center learned of the fraud, Davis sued them (iHeart Care DMC Holdings, LLC. v. Dallas Medical Center, LLC., et al., Cause No. 13-09460, in Dallas County, Texas). Davis, Mitta, and others then provided false testimony in depositions in the resulting lawsuit.

According to court documents, the Dallas Medical Center scheme was just a sliver of the fraud Davis, Mitta and their co-conspirators committed.

In another example, conspirators brought a lawsuit against Korean company ISOL Technology. After testifying falsely about business dealings with Cerner Corporation and offering fake exhibits to support his claim of damages, conspirators received a jury award of $24 million in the 2014 trial in LBDS Holding Company, LLC v. ISOL Technology, Inc., et al., Case No. 6:11-CV-428-LED, in the Eastern District of Texas. When the fraud was discovered, attorneys for ISOL Technology filed an emergency motion for sanctions against LBDS (Davis’ company).

In addition to impersonating Cerner Corporation, conspirators used additional e-mail accounts to impersonate business entities and physicians in order to send communications designed to manipulate others in business transactions.

Additionally, conspirators solicited investments using fabricated communications and documents from entities they created, including the entity created to impersonate Cerner Corporation. Those misrepresentations included false financial documents, altered MRI images and false claims that used MRI systems were newly developed technology. Conspirators solicited millions of dollars in investments from physicians and other investors.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Monday, May 7, 2018.

Under federal statutes, Mitta 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. Attorneys Matthew P. Wolesky and Paul S. Becker, in cooperation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Kummerfeld of the Eastern District of Texas. It was investigated by the FBI.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Michael Eden, 36, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Eden to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration.

On Dec. 4, 2017, Eden pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, the investigation began on June 20, 2016, when a Joplin police officer responded to a call involving the sexual exploitation of a 12-year-old child. The child victim had been receiving text messages from Eden, who indicated he had romantic feelings for the child. The child’s mother was told about the text messages after Eden asked the child victim to send him pictures. A forensic examination of the child’s phone revealed numerous inappropriate text messages sent by Eden to the child.

After Eden was interviewed by investigators, law enforcement officers seized his cell phone as well as a laptop computer, nine hard drives and a USB flash drive from his home. Eden admitted that he received images and videos of child pornography from another person through the Kik application on his phone, and that he had also transmitted child pornography to others via Kik. 

Investigators discovered 70 images of child pornography on Eden’s cell phone and several hundred images of child pornography on his computer. The images depicted children as young as toddlers engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department 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."
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former Springfield YMCA employee was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Benjamin Goodwin, 28, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 10 years and one month in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Goodwin to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration.

Goodwin, who was employed as a childcare worker at the Springfield YMCA at the time of the offense, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2017. Goodwin admitted that he received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between June 11, 2016, and Aug. 3, 2017. Goodwin was employed by the YMCA for more than a decade and also served as a special education paraprofessional until shortly before he was arrested.

According to court documents, Goodwin initially came to the attention of law enforcement after the administrators of Chatstep submitted a Cyber Tipline Report regarding his use of its services to post images depicting child pornography. During the course of another investigation, an individual told investigators that he and Goodwin had been trading images depicting child pornography.

On Aug. 3, 2017, investigators contacted Goodwin outside his place of employment, the Springfield YMCA. Goodwin admitted that he had sent approximately 25 images depicting child pornography to the other individual and had received approximately the same number in return. Goodwin was aware, according to court documents, that the images he received depicted a child who was being actively sexually abused.

A forensic examination of Goodwin’s cell phone and iPad yielded the discovery of a number of files containing images of child pornography. Investigators also recovered dozens of photographs of children taken at the YMCA and other venues. The Internet history contained on Goodwin’s iPad indicated that he frequently visited Internet sites known to host child pornography and actively sought out child pornography. More disturbingly, the forensic examiner recovered dozens of message exchanges between Goodwin and other individuals, discussing their sexual interest in children. During one such exchange, Goodwin transmitted a picture of one of the children he supervised at the YMCA.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.

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

Officer Gary Michael, Jr., had been on duty at his dream job with the Clinton Police Department for less than a year when he conducted a routine traffic stop. Sergeant Carl Cosper, Jr., traveled a familiar stretch of highway when he responded to a routine domestic violence call.

Neither Officer Michael nor Sergeant Cosper returned home to their families after those routine calls; both were killed in the line of duty. Their deaths remind us that, for those sworn to protect and serve, nothing is routine. Every ordinary day could present a matter of life and death. Every ordinary officer makes a hero’s decision, on a daily basis, to do something quite extraordinary – to put their lives on the line for the sake of their community.

Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper are two of the 129 law enforcement officers in the United States to fall in the line of duty in 2017. They made the ultimate sacrifice, and we owe them our undying gratitude.

There is no more important duty of government than to protect its citizens from harm. In the cause of public safety, law enforcement officers are our first line of defense. Speaking for myself as well as the Department of Justice, we will continue to “Back the Blue,” as Attorney General Jeff Sessions says, as we are all united in our efforts to reduce crime in America.

Aside from national security, my highest priority is to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. As we reinvigorate our efforts to take guns out of the hands of criminals, curb drug trafficking, and eradicate gangs, we rely on our partners in law enforcement. Collaboration with state and local law enforcement is critical for the Department of Justice.

We not only need the support of our law enforcement partners to accomplish this goal, but we need the community’s support as well. Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper are two good examples of the risks we ask our law enforcement officers to take every day. We can show our appreciation for their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of many other officers, by supporting their brothers and sisters in uniform who continue that good, essential work.

As a small gesture of our nation’s appreciation, flags will be flown at half-staff today in recognition of National Peace Officers Memorial Day as we honor law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. This is part of National Police Week, an annual tribute to law enforcement service and sacrifice.

Each year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, D.C., to participate in a number of events to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Les Kerr, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Western District of Missouri, will represent us by attending this year’s events.

National Police Week began last Sunday night with a candlelight vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The names of fallen officers, engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, were formally dedicated.

The names of Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper – the two law enforcement officers from the Western District of Missouri who were killed in the line of duty in 2017 – have been engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Additionally, the recently discovered name of an officer killed in the line of duty in 1917 has been added to the wall. 

Even as we honor these fallen heroes, we also grieve the lives of three more law enforcement officers sacrificed since I was sworn in as United States Attorney in January. Next year, the name of another Clinton Police Department officer, Christopher Ryan Morton, along with Miller County Deputy Sheriff Casey Lee Shoemate will be engraved on the memorial wall. We also recently suffered the loss of FBI Special Agent Melissa S. Morrow, 48, who died from brain cancer as a result of being exposed to hazardous contaminants when she rushed to help survivors at the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and participated in the investigation afterward.

May these public servants, each of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for the highest good, inspire us to honor their memory by continuing their legacy of serving and protecting our community.

Officer Gary Michael, Jr.

Officer Gary Michael, Jr., 37, of the Clinton Police Department, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Aug. 6, 2017. Officer Michael stopped a vehicle for suspected registration violation. The driver exited the vehicle and opened fire with a rifle. Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Michael was able to return fire and wounded the subject. The man fled the scene in his vehicle, which crashed two blocks away, then he fled on foot but was apprehended two days later. Officer Michael was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Officer Michael was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Clinton Police Department for less than one year.

Master Sergeant Deputy Sheriff Carl Cosper, Jr.

Master Sergeant Deputy Sheriff Carl Cosper, Jr., 56, of the Barry County Sheriff’s Department was killed in a vehicle collision on April 7, 2017. Sergeant Cosper was responding to a domestic violence call in Seligman, Mo. As he traveled south on Missouri 37, approximately a half-mile south of Washburn, his patrol car struck another vehicle that turned in front of him. Sergeant Cosper was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Sergeant Cosper began his career in law enforcement in 1994 with the McDonald County Sheriff's Department. He went on to serve with the Barry County Sheriff's Department for 10 years. In addition to being a deputy, he was also a firearms instructor, training agent, and taught classes for people who wanted conceal-carry permits.

Deputy Sheriff Edward Culver 

Deputy Edward Culver, 60, of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed on June 23, 1917, while breaking up a fight at a saloon in Drydale. The subject was able to disarm another deputy and shot Deputy Culver in the chest. Despite being mortally wounded, Deputy Culver returned fire and killed the subject.

 Deputy Culver had served with the Platte County Sheriff's Office for four years.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Jefferson City, Mo., man who supervises workers at the federal courthouse in Jefferson City has been charged in federal court with illegally selling 11 firearms to a convicted felon. 

Victor Nahum Vargas, 40, of Jefferson City, was charged in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday, May 12, 2108, with selling firearms to a felon. Vargas, who is employed as the custodial supervisor at the Christopher S. Bond Courthouse in Jefferson City, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, a confidential source who is a convicted felon contacted Vargas on April 24, 2018, by phone. During several recorded communications between the confidential source and Vargas that occurred between April 24, 2018, and April 25, 2018, Vargas allegedly agreed to sell the confidential source 10 firearms for $7,500. According to the affidavit, Vargas knew that the confidential source is a convicted felon who is therefore prohibited by law from purchasing or possessing any firearms or ammunition.

On April 30, 2018, the confidential source contacted Vargas. During the recorded conversation, the affidavit says, Vargas agreed to sell the confidential source an additional rifle for $800. Vargas allegedly agreed to sell the confidential source 11 firearms for $8,100.

Law enforcement officers conducted surveillance on a firearms dealer in Jefferson City on May 9, 2018. According to the affidavit, they observed Vargas carry two boxes of firearms from the store, put them in his car and take them to his residence.

Vargas met with the confidential source on Friday, May 11, 2018, the affidavit says. Vargas allegedly sold 11 firearms to the confidential source for $8,100. Immediately after the transaction, Vargas was placed under arrest. The 11 firearms purchased by the confidential source were turned over to the officers, who also found an additional handgun and ammunition when they searched Vargas’s vehicle.

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 Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Chicago, Ill., Police Department, the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department Community Action Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
 

U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison (right) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller (left) present the award to Detectives Larry Roller and Charles Root.

JOPLIN, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, presented the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award today to two detectives in the Joplin, Mo., Police Department in recognition of their valued contributions to investigating and prosecuting those who prey upon children.

Detective Charles Root, Jr., is also an FBI task force officer and supervises a team of 10 task force officers in the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force. Detective Larry Roller, a computer forensic analyst, is also a Homeland Securities Investigation task force officer and a member of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

“For over 24 years, these two individuals have exemplified what true champions for child victims are,” said Garrison, “hardworking, tireless, and relentless in their pursuit to ferret out child predators and pursue justice for child victims. These officers leave no stone unturned in their pursuit to catch child predators. Their dedication and persistence over the years identified and ultimately protected countless child victims. Thanks to their dedication, many dangerous sexual predators have been taken off the streets.”

The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award

This is the 14th year for the award to be presented in memory of Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp, two young women who were both fatal victims of tragic crimes. Crystal Kipper was an 18-year-old Gladstone, Mo., resident who was murdered after her car broke down on Interstate 29, just north of Platte City, on Feb. 24, 1997. Ali Kemp was a 19-year-old Blue Valley North High School graduate who was murdered on June 18, 2002, while she worked at the Foxborough neighborhood swimming pool in Leawood, Kan.

The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award is presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office each year to recognize the outstanding work of an individual or organization in recognition of a valued contribution to preventing and responding to the exploitation of children.

USA v. Perkins

When a mother located a tablet that contained images of the sexual abuse of her 11-year-old daughter, Det. Roller and Det. Root leaped into action. Within hours of receiving multiple devices, Det. Roller began his work of forensically examining each device for evidence. Det. Root met the defendant at the jail and obtained a full confession within a couple of hours.  Due to the evidence that Det. Root was able to get from the defendant and the forensic evidence Det. Roller was able to recover from the devices, David Lee Perkins was indicted by a federal grand jury for the aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography, and receipt and distribution of child pornography.  

Perkins pleaded guilty to two counts of the federal indictment, admitting that he used the child victim to produce child pornography and that he distributed child pornography. However, facing a 30-year mandatory minimum, Perkins elected to go to trial last January on the remaining count of aggravated sexual abuse. Perkins was convicted of that charge as well, and remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing on June 5, 2018.

Det. Root and Det. Roller also pursued leads that led them to multiple other children who had been abused by Perkins. Their excellent work investigating this case led to the discovery of another child predator in North Carolina, Don Blankenship, who was charged and convicted of five counts of indecent liberties with a child under North Carolina state law in Catawba County, North Carolina.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man with a prior federal felony conviction for possessing child pornography was convicted at trial today of printing obscene images from a computer at a local public library.

David R. Buie, 63, of Kansas City, was found guilty of one count of possessing obscene images of the sexual abuse of children, contained in an Oct. 25, 2017, federal indictment.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Buie printed images of child obscenity from a computer at a public library. On July 11, 2017, Buie printed about 50 pages from a computer he was using at the Mid-Continent Public Library at 9253 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Buie didn’t realize that the printer stopped because it was out of toner, so his print jobs were interrupted and only about half of his pages were printed. After Buie left the library, the toner in the printer was changed and the remaining pages of his original print job were printed. As one of the librarians was cleaning up, she removed the remaining pages and observed they were color copies from a graphic sex comic.

Library staff contacted the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department to make a report. Buie was identified because his library card was associated with the print job. Security cameras within the library showed him using a computer at the time of the printing.

The U.S. Probation Office was also contacted, because Buie was on supervised release for a prior federal felony conviction for possessing child pornography. When probation officers searched Buie’s residence, they found the images of child obscenity that Buie had printed at the library. Buie told investigators that he visited various public libraries about once a week to view child obscenity anime. Buie said he often printed the images on the library’s printer.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for less than an hour before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough, ending a trial that began Monday, May 7, 2018.

Under federal statutes, Buie is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole due to a prior felony conviction for possessing child pornography, 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 Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the U.S. Probation Office.

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 Kanas City, Mo., man and woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies at area businesses.

Aaron Fisher, 46, and Dawn Baldwin, 49, both of Kansas City, were charged in a 16-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 2, 2018. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed on April 6, 2018, and includes additional charges. Fisher and Baldwin remain in federal custody without bond.

The federal indictment alleges that Fisher and Baldwin participated in an armed robbery conspiracy from Dec. 20, 2017, through April 2, 2018.

In addition to the conspiracy, Fisher and Baldwin are charged together with two armed robberies: the armed robbery of Holiday Inn Express, 19901 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence, Mo., on Dec. 31, 2017; and with the armed robbery of Comfort Inn Motel, 210 N.W. Jefferson St., Grain Valley, Mo., on Jan. 21, 2018. They are also charged together with possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in each of those robberies.

Fisher is also charged with five additional armed robberies: the armed robbery of Blue Ridge Food Stop, 4704 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 20, 2017; the armed robbery of Subway, 3380 Fascination, Lee’s Summit, Mo., on Dec. 20, 2017; the armed robbery of Papa Murphy’s, 9027 E. 350 Hwy., Raytown, Mo., on Jan. 4, 2018; the armed robbery of Four Points Sheraton, 4011 Blue Ridge, Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 15, 2018; and the armed robbery of Trex Mart, 7812 E. 116 Hwy., Lathrop, Mo., on April 2, 2018. Fisher is charged with possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in each of those robberies.

Fisher is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that Fisher, having been convicted of a felony, was in possession of an H7R .22-caliber revolver on Dec. 20, 2017.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Moeder. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department, the Raytown, Mo., Police Department, the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department and the Clinton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lathrop, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for a $1.7 million fraud scheme related to the sale of his business.

Todd Edwin Rood, 53, of Lathrop, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to four years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Rood to pay $1,347,608 in restitution and a money judgment to the government of $1,207,979, which covers his gain.

Rood, the former owner of Rood Machine & Engineering (RME) in Kearney, Mo., pleaded guilty to application fraud on Dec. 6, 2017. Rood admitted that he made false statements to the purchaser’s bank about his assets and liabilities during the sale of his business in a scheme to defraud RME’s buyers and their financial institution. The loss to the bank and the buyers was $1,347,608.

The victims of Rood’s fraud scheme agreed to purchase RME for $2,050,0001 based on his financial documents, which overstated RME’s financial vitality. The purchasers sought a $1,744,000 loan; to obtain the loan, they were required to infuse RME with $200,000 cash. In addition, the purchasers paid $62,000 in closing costs to obtain the loan. The loan was guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

According to court documents, the purchasers also undertook a “quick sale” of their home in Georgia to buy RME on the timetable set forth by Rood, who falsely claimed to have terminal colon cancer. They incurred a loss of $40,000 on their home as a result.

Rood falsified documents in 2015 and 2016 outlining the assets and liabilities of his business. According to court documents, Rood had his bookkeeper classify tow loans for $121,327 as income, and to re-classify $120,000 in loans from his parents in 2013 and 2014 as income in 2014. Rood also directed his bookkeeper to record as income seven fictitious sales in 2015 totaling $342,500. By altering his bookkeeping, Rood inflated his income by approximately $583,827. All of this was in advance of the sale in order to inflate his income, lower his liabilities, and enhance the appearance of Rood’s business to a prospective buyer.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Rood must pay the purchasers $262,000 in restitution for their closing costs and cash infusion into RME, which they made in reliance on the information underlying Rood’s false certification to which he is pleading guilty.
 
This case was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the FBI.