Western District of Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.
 
Sergio Antonio Dominguez-Gonzalez, 23, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 23 years and four months in federal prison without parole.

Dominguez-Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty on May 15, 2017, admitted that he sexually abused a 2-year-old child victim to produce child pornography, which he distributed over the Internet.

An undercover detective in Washington, D.C., posted numerous online bulletin messages on specific social media forums, which were Web sites frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children and incest. The bulletin messages were intended to attract individuals with a sexual interest in children. On Feb. 21, 2017, Dominguez-Gonzalez sent an e-mail to the undercover detective.

During the course of their e-mail conversation and later instant messaging, Dominguez-Gonzalez stated that he had sexual contact with a 2-year-old victim for the first time “recently” and had made two videos of himself molesting the victim. Dominguez-Gonzalez admitted he sent one of the videos, as well as screen shots from the video, to the undercover detective. He also told the undercover detective that he showed images of adult pornography to the victim “so she knows that (sic) girls do.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the FBI, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department 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."

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two Columbia, Mo., men have been charged in federal court, in separate cases, with illegally possessing firearms.

Ladame T. Smith, 23, and Lajuan Marquis Martin, 23, both of Columbia, were each charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in separate criminal complaints filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. Martin and Smith are in federal custody and will have their initial court appearances today.

The first federal criminal complaint alleges that Smith, a felon, was in possession of a Zastava 7.62-caliber assault rifle and a Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The second federal criminal complaint alleges that Martin, a felon, was in possession of a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

According to affidavits filed in support of the criminal complaints, Columbia police officers were conducting surveillance and observed Smith get into a red Pontiac Grand Prix. Because Smith had an active parole absconder arrest warrant, officers stopped the vehicle, which was driven by Martin. A detective saw the loaded Glock handgun on the driver’s side floorboard at Martin’s feet and the loaded assault rifle between the passenger seat and doorjamb where Smith was seated. As Smith was exiting the vehicle, the detective also saw the loaded Smith and Wesson on the front passenger seat where Smith had been seated.

Officers also smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the inside of the vehicle and observed Smith smoking a “blunt” (marijuana cigar). Officers found eight grams of heroin packaged in 15 individual baggies and two Alprazolam pills in Martin’s pants pocket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Smith has prior felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a firearm, burglary and stealing. Martin has a prior felony conviction for resisting arrest.
 
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in these complaints are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

These cases are being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. They were investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Robbie R. Robinson, 29, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to seven years and seven months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Robinson to a three-year term of supervised release following incarceration, with the special condition that he register as a sex offender as required by state and federal law.

On June 1, 2017, Robinson pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robinson admitted that he was in possession of a loaded CW9 9mm pistol on Oct. 13, 2016.

Springfield police officers contacted Robinson at a local Wal-Mart store on that date and discovered an active warrant for his arrest. Officers asked Robinson if he possessed any weapons, and he admitted he was in possession of the pistol. An officer frisked Robinson and found the pistol in his front right pants pocket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Robinson has prior felony convictions for the attempted rape of a child and failure to register as a sex offender. Robinson was not registered, as required by law, at the time of the offense.
 
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man identified during an online live-streaming session was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Michael V. Lucas, 32, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Lucas to a 15-year term of supervised released following incarceration.

Lucas, who pleaded guilty on May 3, 2017, admitted that he received and distributed child pornography from Jan. 1, 2016, to Sept. 22, 2016.

 According to court documents, a federal law enforcement agent in Phoenix, Ariz., encountered a person later identified as Lucas among the participants who were live streaming images and videos of child pornography over the Internet on Sept. 15, 2016. During the live-streaming session, Lucas claimed to have molested two 13- and 16-year-old victims and said he would attempt to broadcast a future sexual encounter with the victims.

Lucas was partially visible in a reflection during the live stream. The federal agent engaged in two additional live-streaming sessions that day in which Lucas participated and continued to share images and videos of child pornography.

On Sept. 19, 2016, Lucas was identified by the agent posting messages in a known pedophile group. These messages described the number of videos he possessed as well as advertising his new Skype group. Lucas was live streaming videos of child pornography and his reflection could be seen. Lucas also shared two links to a Dropbox account that contained images of child pornography and claimed that he was in possession of more than 1,000 videos of child pornography.

On Sept. 20, 2016, Lucas was live streaming and moved the position of the camera to show his face. Lucas also displayed a handgun and loaded magazine for the weapon during the course of the stream.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lucas’s residence on Sept. 22, 2016, and Lucas was arrested.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom 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." 
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Ohio man who defrauded multiple NFL players – including a player for the Kansas City Chiefs – out of nearly $25,000 earmarked for charitable causes, has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Camario A. Richardson, 38, of Maple Heights, Ohio, was charged in a five-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 13, 2017. That indictment was unsealed and made public upon Richardson’s arrest in Ohio on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, and his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio. Richardson is scheduled to appear at 1 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2017, in the Western District of Missouri for subsequent court proceedings.

The federal indictment charges Richardson with one count of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

According to the indictment, Richardson claimed to have contacts with Nike and agreed to deliver Nike-branded merchandise to five NFL players. None of the victim players are identified by name in court documents.

Richardson allegedly told a Kansas City Chiefs player that he could provide 300 Nike-branded backpacks for a “Book Bag Giveaway” charitable event for children in need of a school backpack at the start of the 2016 school year. Richardson was paid $6,000 for the backpacks in April 2016, the indictment says, but failed to deliver them.

The indictment alleges that Richardson engaged in the same fraud scheme by taking thousands of dollars from the players of three other NFL teams, all as payment for backpacks those players planned to give away at similar charitable events. As a result of Richardson’s fraud scheme, the indictment says, all four victim players purchased backpacks from another source for their charitable events.

The indictment also alleges that Richardson engaged in a fraud scheme by taking money from another NFL player as payment for athletic shoes that he failed to provide.

In June 2016, Richardson allegedly took $6,480 from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and $6,480 from an Indianapolis Colts player, each of whom were promised 300 backpacks that Richardson failed to deliver, and $4,320 from a Cincinnati Bengals player who was promised 200 backpacks that Richardson failed to deliver. In March 2016, Richardson allegedly took $1,500 from a San Diego Chargers player for athletic shoes that Richardson failed to deliver. Richardson’s fraud scheme resulted in a total loss of approximately $24,780.
 
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Criminal Division Chief Gene Porter. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., woman who embezzled from her family’s company has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay taxes on at least $466,000.

Tammera Goodman, 56, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, to making false statements on a tax return.

Tammera 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. 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.

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.
 
Under federal statutes, Goodman is subject to a sentence of up to three 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 Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Missouri Department of Revenue Criminal Investigation Bureau.
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that additional charges have been filed against a Springfield, Mo., man who managed an online chat group to share child pornography.

Anthony Cotter, 30, of Springfield, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Cotter on Oct. 5, 2017, and includes an additional charge.

Today’s indictment alleges that Cotter used a minor, identified as Jane Doe #1, to produce child pornography from Jan. 1, 2015, to Oct. 5, 2017. The indictment also includes the original charge against Cotter of receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, Cotter was a group administrator for a very active online chat group of 50 members who shared images and videos of child pornography with each other. Cotter also told investigators that he had been sexually abusing a minor female and taking photographs of her in various states of nudity.

The investigation began on March 9, 2017, when federal agents assisted the New York State Police with a child exploitation investigation that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of a member of Cotter’s chat group. Investigators reviewed communications that occurred in the group, including Cotter’s involvement as he monitored other users and warned them to follow the rules of the chat group. Cotter actively encouraged other users to post child pornography, the affidavit says, and posted several video files to the chat room himself.

According to the affidavit, members of the chat group were receiving and distributing videos and images of child pornography that depicted children from infants to approximately 12 years old.  The images and videos depicted various types of sexual abuse to the children perpetrated by adult males and adult females; some of the images and videos depicted bondage and bestiality involving the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12.

Investigators also identified Cotter as the source of a Skype account that was being used to distribute images and videos of child pornography, the affidavit says. Multiple cyber tips related to the account were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Officers executed a search warrant at Cotter’s residence and arrested Cotter.
 
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

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."
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Ames, Iowa sex offender was indicted by a federal grand jury today on child sexual exploitation charges.

John Jordan Lundberg, 30, of Ames, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Lundberg on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017.

Lundberg was convicted on Sept. 15, 2017 for enticement of a minor for indecent purposes. Lundberg, who was granted a deferred judgment and placed on probation for three years, was arrested on Oct. 10, 2016 at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino during an undercover operation when he responded to a Craigslist advertisement and arranged a sexual encounter with a (fictitious) 15-year-old female.

The federal indictment alleges that Lundberg attempted to produce child pornography on Sept. 25, 2017. The indictment also charges Lundberg with transferring obscene material to a person who he believed was under the age of 16 on Sept. 25, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Lundberg responded to an online advertisement that was posted by an undercover Boone County Sheriff’s Department detective in an effort to seek out potential sexual predators. The undercover officer posed as a mother offering her 13-year-old daughter for sex. The undercover officer also posed as the 13-year-old daughter, the affidavit says, and Lundberg communicated with the “daughter” via text message. Lundberg allegedly sent the “daughter” sexually explicit photos and video of himself and of others. Lundberg allegedly encouraged the “daughter” to send him nude photos of herself.
 
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

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

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Arkansas man was sentenced in federal court today for making bomb threats to the Cedar County Courthouse in an effort to cancel his own court hearing that he feared would send him to jail.

Phillip Ray Robison, Jr., 36, of Hartford, Arkansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court ordered this federal sentence to be served consecutively to Robison’s sentence in a Cedar County, Mo., case.

On May 25, 2017, Robison pleaded guilty to one count of maliciously conveying false information related to explosive materials. Robison admitted that he made three separate bomb threats on two occasions in January 2016, each of which caused the evacuation of the Cedar County Courthouse in Stockton, Mo.

Robison called the court clerk for the Cedar County Courthouse on Jan. 11, 2016. Robison stated, “You better tell Judge Bickel to clear the courthouse cuz a bomb is going off at 2:30.” Law enforcement cleared everyone and searched the courthouse for the presence of an explosive or bomb. Law enforcement did not locate an explosive device in the courthouse, the building was reopened to the public, and the court docket was resumed.

Robison then called the clerk’s office a second time and said, “you screwed up,” indicating that law enforcement had missed the bomb during their original search. Once again the courthouse was closed and another search was conducted. Law enforcement again failed to find an explosive device during this second search. Due to the late hour, the remainder of the court docket was cancelled and rescheduled for a later date.

On the day of the bomb threat, a court bailiff observed Robison at the courthouse. The bailiff thought that Robison seemed nervous. Robison had been scheduled to appear in Judge Bickel’s court for a probation violation hearing following his prior conviction for distribution of illegal narcotics. Robison was concerned that he was going to be sent to the Missouri Department of Corrections for a 120-day sentence.

On Jan. 25, 2016, Robison called another bomb threat into the Cedar County Courthouse. The court was cleared and searched by law enforcement officers. No explosive device was located. When the court reopened to the public, Robison was first in line. Deputies who were aware of the circumstances of the first bomb threat recognized Robison.

Deputies asked Robison to step out of line to speak with them. Robison agreed to be interviewed and was taken to the sheriff’s office. Robison admitted that he had made both of the January 2016 bomb threats because he wanted his court hearing to be cancelled. Robison believed that if his hearing was held, the court would return him to jail, and he wanted to avoid returning to jail. Robison also told deputies that there were never any bombs.

According to court documents, Robison also had been scheduled to be in court on Dec. 14, 2015, but his hearing was postponed because he had a medical emergency and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. On that day, Robison’s vital signs were normal, but he advised medical personnel that he wanted to be transported to the hospital.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Cedar County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a St. Joseph, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally possessing a firearm following a 11-hour standoff with law enforcement officers.

Terrance T. Brown, 40, of St. Joseph, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm 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 Brown on Sept. 18, 2017.

The indictment alleges that Brown, having been convicted of a felony, was in possession of a Ruger 9mm pistol on Sept. 13, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Brown was arrested following a 11-hour standoff at his residence on Sept. 13, 2017. Officers with the St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department established a perimeter around the residence. After several minutes, three individuals (including a juvenile) came out of the residence, but Brown – who was armed with a handgun – remained inside. Officers with the Special Response Team used portable cameras to locate Brown in the attic of the residence. Eventually, Brown surrendered to officers and was arrested as he left the residence. The loaded Ruger 9mm pistol with an extended magazine was found during a search of the attic. Officers also found an empty box of Smith & Wesson .40-caliber ammunition.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brown has a prior federal conviction in the District of Kansas for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brown has two prior felony convictions for robbery in Wyandotte County, Kan., as well as prior felony convictions for aggravated assault and criminal possession of a firearm. Brown is currently under supervision by Missouri Probation and Parole for felony drug possession in Jackson County, Mo.
 
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man who managed an online chat group to share child pornography was arrested and charged in federal court today.

Anthony Cotter, 30, of Springfield, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo. Cotter remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.

Today’s complaint alleges that Cotter received and distributed child pornography over the Internet between March 13 and Oct. 5, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, Cotter was a group administrator for a very active online chat group of 50 members who shared images and videos of child pornography with each other. Cotter also told investigators that he had been sexually abusing a minor female and taking photographs of her in various states of nudity.

The investigation began on March 9, 2017, when federal agents assisted the New York State Police with a child exploitation investigation that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of a member of Cotter’s chat group. Investigators reviewed communications that occurred in the group, including Cotter’s involvement as he monitored other users and warned them to follow the rules of the chat group. Cotter actively encouraged other users to post child pornography, the affidavit says, and posted several video files to the chat room himself.

According to the affidavit, members of the chat group were receiving and distributing videos and images of child pornography that depicted children from infants to approximately 12 years old.  The images and videos depicted various types of sexual abuse to the children perpetrated by adult males and adult females; some of the images and videos depicted bondage and bestiality involving the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12.

Investigators also identified Cotter as the source of a Skype account that was being used to distribute images and videos of child pornography, the affidavit says. Multiple cyber tips related to the account were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Officers executed a search warrant at Cotter’s residence earlier today, and arrested Cotter.
 
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

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 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."
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Phoenix, Ariz., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after being arrested at a local bus station with nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine in his duffle bag.

Jose A. Escajeda, 21, of Phoenix, was charged with possessing methamphetamine to distribute in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Escajeda on Sept. 12, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers contacted Escajeda at a Kansas City, Mo., bus terminal on Sept. 11, 2017. He told officers he was traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., and showed them his bus ticket. 

Officers utilized a K-9 for a sniff check of Escajeda’s duffle bag, and the K-9 indicated a positive alert for the odor of narcotics. When officers searched Escajeda’s duffle bag, they found three individually wrapped bundles concealed under clothing inside the bag. The bundles contained a total of 10.2 pounds, or approximately 4,626.72 grams of methamphetamine.

Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an inmate serving a life sentence at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield was convicted by a federal trial jury today of murdering one inmate and attempting to murder another inmate.

Ulysses Jones, Jr., 61, an inmate serving a life sentence at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, was found guilty of one count of first degree murder, one count of murder by a federal prisoner serving a life term, and one count of assaulting another inmate with the intention of killing him.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Jones murdered Timothy Baker, an inmate who was sleeping when attacked and was taking sleeping medication, by stabbing him to death on Jan. 9, 2006. Jones also attempted to kill another inmate, identified in court documents as “R.R.,’ by stabbing him multiple times with a sharpened piece of metal (also known as a “shank”).

Inmates at the facility suspected Jones and another inmate were stealing from them. Baker confronted Jones about the thefts over a period of several days. On Jan. 8, 2006, the day before his murder, Baker and 10 other inmates signed a petition that accused Jones and the other inmate of the thefts and asked that they be removed from the unit.

At approximately 3 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2006, Jones took a self-made shank and went to Baker’s bed. While Baker was sleeping, Jones stabbed him in the chest. According to the autopsy, the first blow was the fatal one.  Baker leapt up, took a few steps forward, then fell to floor face down.  Jones then jumped on Baker’s back and stabbed him at least four more times. Jones turned to R.R., who was still in bed, and began stabbing him. R.R. attempted to fend Jones off, but sustained multiple injuries. By this time, the other prisoners’ yelling had caused the guards to come to the ward.
 
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., deliberated for about an hour and 45 minutes before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays, ending the guilt phase portion of the trial that began Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.

The penalty phase of the trial will commence this afternoon. Jurors will sentence Jones to either life in federal prison without parole, or death.

This case is being prosecuted by Capital Case Section-Criminal Division Trial Attorney James D. Peterson of the United States Department of Justice and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mohlhenrich of the Western District of Missouri. It was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a former Buffalo, Mo., elementary school teacher’s assistant has been sentenced in federal court for receiving child pornography.

Dalton Cole Sherman, 20, of Buffalo, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Sherman to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration.

Sherman pleaded guilty on June 13, 2017, to receiving child pornography. He was a teacher’s assistant at the DA Mallory Elementary School in Buffalo at the time of the offense. 

School officials contacted law enforcement officials on June 11, 2015, and reported that a pen camera had been located in a bathroom used by teachers and children. The pen camera was behind a standup mirror in the bathroom and had a light on the camera. Sherman, who had been going in and out of the bathroom for unknown reasons, was detained and transported to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department for questioning.

Sherman admitted he placed the pen camera in the bathroom on top of some plastic totes and behind the mirror that morning. Sherman checked the camera two times, turning it off and on. Sherman also said he had used the camera before to capture high school girls on the school bus and school lobby. Sherman transferred the videos to his Nook tablet to watch them at home.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Sherman’s residence on June 18, 2015. Investigators found several videos on the pen camera that depict 5-to-6-year-old children using the toilet. Investigators also found 90 images of child pornography, which had been downloaded from the Internet, on Sherman’s Nook tablet.

 
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Dallas County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the State Technical Assistance Team and the FBI.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Carl Junction, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Lisa Lee, 43, of Carl Junction, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole, the maximum statutory penalty for the offense.

On April 26, 2017, Lee pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lee admitted she was in possession of a Taurus 9mm revolver when she was stopped by a Joplin, Mo., police officer on Feb. 26, 2016.

The police officer conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Lee was driving. As he approached the vehicle, the officer saw Lee hide something near the door. Based on Lee’s furtive movements and nervous manner, investigators conducted a canine sweep of the exterior of the car. The dog alerted on the car, indicating the presence of narcotics.

Officers searched the vehicle and found $21,000, approximately 83.68 grams of pure methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and the Taurus revolver. The firearm was located in the trunk of the vehicle and wrapped in a multi-colored handkerchief.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Lee has prior felony convictions for receiving stolen property, forgery and stealing. She currently has four felony cases pending against her in the Circuit Court for Jasper County, Mo.
 
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Carrollton, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for a bank fraud scheme in which she used her neighbor’s house to obtain a loan for her failed business venture.

Carol Joyce Noble, 65, of Carrollton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Noble to pay $267,924 in restitution.

On March 28, 2017, Noble was found guilty at trial of two counts of bank fraud. Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Noble defrauded Central Trust Bank in Jefferson City, Mo., in September 2011 as part of a scheme to obtain a fraudulent $185,000 loan in order to purchase a convenience store in Stover, Mo.

As part of the scheme, Noble caused the fraudulent appraisal of her Gravois Mills, Mo., residential property in order to obtain the loan. Noble changed the physical address of the residence to an adjacent residence by altering the last digit of the house number, unbeknownst to the neighbor. Noble met the appraiser at her neighbor’s home and misrepresented to the appraiser that it was her own. The appraiser then appraised the wrong home at a value $100,000 higher than the true value of Noble’s property. Noble was found guilty of two counts of bank fraud related to the fraudulent appraisal.

According to court documents, the loan closed and the money was issued, but the business quickly failed. During the foreclosure process, it was determined that the property appraised was not Noble’s actual house, but rather, the residence next to hers. The bank ultimately sold Noble’s actual residence for only $15,000. The bank, Noble’s business partners (who continued to pay the deficiency on the loan after its default) and even the appraisal company and its insurance company lost substantial amounts of money as a result of this fraud.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the FBI.
 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Barnett, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Ashley Annette Stone, 33, of Barnett, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to eight years in federal prison without parole.

On April 26, 2017, Stone pleaded guilty to possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

On Jan. 11, 2016, Morgan County, Mo., sheriff’s deputies went to Stone’s residence to interview her about reports that she was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine. Deputies executed a search warrant at her residence and seized a bag that contained 54.27 grams of methamphetamine hidden behind the washing machine. Stone’s car was also searched, and officers found a bag that contained seven grams of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Stone’s vehicle had been stopped by Lake Ozark, Mo., police officers on July 24, 2015. During the stop, officers found a baggie that contained .36 gram of methamphetamine. Stone told investigators she had travelled to Oklahoma City to obtain a pound of methamphetamine. She also admitted that, a week prior to the traffic stop, she had traveled to obtain a pound of methamphetamine, which she sold in Missouri.

Stone also told investigators that she had been buying and selling methamphetamine that she obtained from Mexican nationals. She stated that, two weeks earlier, she had purchased methamphetamine at $500 per ounce from a Mexican man in Kansas City, Mo. The man gave Stone a tequila bottle containing a clear liquid, and instructed her to heat it in an aluminum pan and then set it aside to dry, and that it would turn into crystal methamphetamine. Stone stated that the liquid ultimately yielded a pound of powder. Stone had obtained a second bottle containing methamphetamine that was located in her vehicle. The vehicle had been returned to its owner, who had broken the bottle, but the bottle was recovered and found to contain methamphetamine.
 
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force, the Lake Ozark, Mo., Police Department, the Miller County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Morgan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and possessing marijuana.

Christopher J. Kessler, 29, of Kansas City, was found guilty of one count of possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing marijuana.

Kessler was arrested on March 5, 2016, following a high-speed vehicle pursuit and foot chase by Independence and Kansas City, Mo., police officers. At about 12:37 a.m., an Independence officer attempted to stop a Ford Explorer driven by Kessler, which was traveling at a high rate of speed and made an abrupt turn without signaling. When Kessler pulled over, the officer was notified that the license plate on his vehicle belonged to another vehicle that had been reported as stolen. The officer, using his exterior speaker, twice ordered Kessler to place the vehicle in park. Instead, Kessler rapidly accelerated. The officer pursued Kessler, who reached a speed of 105 miles per hour, at times driving in the opposite lanes of traffic without his vehicle lights on.

Police officers called off the pursuit but helicopter surveillance observed Kessler enter a hotel. Kessler led officers on a pursuit through the hotel and back out to the street. An officer eventually tackled Kessler to the ground; he continued to resist officers by placing his hands around and under his face. Kessler bit one of the officers in the finger and wrist, breaking the skin. Additional officers assisted in securing Kessler in handcuffs.

Officers searched Kessler and found a clear plastic baggie that contained at least 50.9 grams of pure methamphetamine in his right front pocket, as well as a smaller clear plastic baggie that contained seven grams of marijuana.
 
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 verdicts to U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, ending a trial that began Monday, Sept. 25, 2017.

Under federal statutes, Kessler is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily A. Morgan and Patrick Edwards. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a St. Joseph, Mo., man has been charged with possessing methamphetamine to distribute following a high-speed pursuit that resulted in his arrest and the seizure of more than two kilograms of methamphetamine.

James Patrick Pardee, II, 27, of St. Joseph, was charged in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Pardee remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Plattsburg, Mo., police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop for a lane violation on a black Audi A4 driven by Pardee on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Pardee fled from officers at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour for approximately nine miles, the affidavit says, until his vehicle crashed into a guardrail.

Pardee and a female passenger got out of the vehicle; Pardee was arrested and the female passenger escaped. Officers found a backpack inside the vehicle that contained numerous clear plastic baggies with a total of more than two kilograms of methamphetamine. Investigators later determined that he had recently sold approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine, the affidavit says.
 
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusations and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Plattsburg, Mo., Police Department, the Clinton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a former St. Joseph, Mo., Boy Scout leader has been charged in federal court with distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Michael R. Goeller, 45, of St. Joseph, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2017. The complaint was unsealed and made public following Goeller’s arrest on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Goeller remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, the investigation began on Feb. 15, 2017, when a law enforcement officer in Arkansas downloaded a video file that contained child pornography through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network that was later linked to Goeller’s computer.

On Sept. 20, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Goeller’s apartment and seized a laptop computer and other digital electronic devices and digital media storage devices. A full forensic digital examination of the devices seized from Goeller is pending, the affidavit says, but a digital forensic preview tool was utilized on the laptop and indicated at least 10 images of child pornography and other files names with terms associated with child pornography.

After the completion of the search warrant, the affidavit says, investigators learned that Goeller had made contact with a local priest to confess to child pornography having been found on his computer. Goeller also immediately resigned as an assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America due to his interaction with this criminal investigation.
 
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. 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. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that the owner of a Grandview, Mo., business destroyed in an explosion earlier this year is among two men who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally manufacturing and dealing in explosives.

James Witt, 76, of Grandview, and Thomas McKeehan, 66, of Belton, Mo., were charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2017. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon McKeehan’s arrest and initial court appearance. McKeehan remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing; Witt will self-surrender to authorities.

Witt was the owner of JW’s Lawn and Garden Equipment, 12010 S. 71 Hwy., Grandview, which was destroyed in an explosion on Jan. 3, 2017.

The federal indictment alleges that Witt and McKeehan used the business as a place to manufacture illegal explosive devices, including M-80 and M-100 explosives. They allegedly manufactured the explosive devices by buying bulk supplies of chemicals and then combining them to produce the illegal explosive devices at JW’s Lawn and Garden Equipment.

They also allegedly purchased commercial fireworks without the license to do so. McKeehan purchased approximately 40 cases of commercial fireworks for $10,000 in November 2016, the indictment says. McKeehan met the seller at a truck stop on Interstate 80 in Iowa to obtain the fireworks.

According to the indictment, McKeehan maintained a storage unit in Belton that was used to store explosives. Later the same night after the Jan. 3, 2017, explosion, Witt and McKeehan allegedly traveled to that storage unit and removed the fireworks that were stored at that location. On Jan. 17, 2017, Witt and McKeehan loaded a van with commercial fireworks and illegal explosive devices from a commercial shipping container in Lone Jack, Mo., the indictment says. McKeehan allegedly contacted an individual in Wisconsin to sell the fireworks for approximately $32,000.

Witt and McKeehan are charged together in one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of manufacturing and dealing in explosives from January 2015 to Jan. 17, 2017. 

Witt and McKeehan are charged together in one count of engaging in the business of dealing in explosive materials from Jan. 3 to Jan. 17, 2017, including approximately 1,080 commercially packaged 1.3g, 3-inch aerial display shells; approximately 13,968 (M-Series) improvised explosive devices; approximately 3,200 (larger M-Series) improvised explosive devices; and approximately 1,633 commercially packaged 1.3g, 3-inch aerial display shells, without a license to do so.

McKeehan is also charged with one count of making a materially false statement. McKeehan allegedly told ATF agents that he had no knowledge of Witt’s involvement in manufacturing illegal explosive devices at Witt’s place of business.

Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Springfield, Mo., women pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a $718,000 tax fraud conspiracy.

Carolyn Alice Cobb, 56, and Clementine Lockett, 43, both of Springfield, pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool. In addition to the conspiracy, Cobb pleaded guilty to two counts of presenting a false claim and one count of theft of government property. Cobb remains in federal custody without bond. Lockett, who is on bond, also pleaded guilty to two counts of presenting a false claim.

Co-defendant Nancy Lorine Walker, 55, of Springfield, pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2017, to her role in the conspiracy. Walker also pleaded guilty to one count of presenting a false claim, one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Cobb, Lockett and Walker each admitted that she participated in a conspiracy, which operated from January 2010 to April 23, 2013, to submit false federal income tax returns and make false claims for federal income tax refunds for the 2009-2012 tax years.

Conspirators used the means of identification of individuals, including their names and social security numbers, and Turbo Tax to prepare and electronically file federal income tax returns. Those returns were false and fraudulent in that they included fictitious IRS Form W-2 information, listing employers who did not employ the individual listed on the return and reporting wages not earned and employment taxes not withheld from the individual.

The conspiracy resulted in a total of $718,927 in false claims for federal income tax refunds. Conspirators actually received a total of $317,498 in refunds.

Under federal statutes, Cobb is subject to a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Lockett is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Walker is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. 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. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a convicted sex offender in Reeds Spring, Mo., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Jeffrey Raymond Everett, Jr., 22, of Reeds Spring, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Everett has a prior state conviction for possessing child pornography.

The federal indictment alleges that Everett used a minor to produce child pornography from April 20 to April 30, 2017. Everett is also charged with using the Internet and a cell phone to attempt to entice the minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.
 
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

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 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."
 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Mo., man who lived in the same apartment where his girlfriend operated a daycare business was indicted by a federal grand jury today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Kent G. Hagan, 52, of Joplin, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Hagan on Aug. 25, 2017. Hagan remains in federal custody without bond.

The indictment alleges that Hagan received and distributed child pornography over the Internet from Aug. 7 to Aug. 22, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Hagan was living with his girlfriend, who operated an unlicensed day care at her residence. The police department received a tip on Aug. 21, 2017, that Hagan had images of child pornography on his cell phone. His girlfriend kicked him out of the residence, the affidavit says, but he had recently moved back in. 

When law enforcement officers interviewed Hagan’s girlfriend, she told them that Hagan had stayed at her residence with the children when she was not present. She also told investigators that she has three minor children of her own and usually cares for four to six children at a time. Hagan’s girlfriend said she found “creepy” images of two young children she babysat for on Hagan’s cell phone and deleted them.

A forensic examination of Hagan’s cell phone found 809 images depicting children as young as toddlers in sexually provocative poses, 69 images that depicted anime child pornographic images and 11 images of suspected child pornography.
 
Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, 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."
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Pacific, Mo., company was sentenced in federal court today for violating an OSHA regulation and causing the death of a Raymore, Mo., ironworker.

U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays ordered DNRB, Inc., to pay a fine of $500,000, the maximum penalty for the offense. The court ordered DNRB to pay quarterly installments of $25,000 over a period of five years.

DNRB was found guilty following a bench trial that concluded on Aug. 17, 2016. The court order setting out the findings of fact and conclusions of law was issued on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

In July 2014, DNRB – doing business as Fastrack Erectors – was a subcontractor in the construction of a 300,000-square-foot distribution warehouse located in Kansas City, Mo. Fastrack is an American Institute of Steel Construction-certified steel erection company that specializes in structural steel, miscellaneous steel, pre-engineered metal buildings, ornamental metal handrail, and precast installation. Fastrack supplied on-site supervisors (who are based in the St. Louis, Mo., area) while the ironworkers were hired from the union local in Kansas City, Mo.

On July 24, 2014, two Fastrack ironworker employees were receiving a bundle of roof decking sheet metal and setting it on top of the building’s bar joists. The employees’ task required them to guide the decking bundle to land it. Each decking bundle was 26 feet long by 36 inches wide. The employees accessed the top of the building from a scissor lift and walked approximately 15 feet along a joist without wearing any fall protection. They walked on trusses that were nine inches wide, or bar joists which were five inches wide. Other ironworkers secured the decking to the trusses with screws and welds. These workers did not use fall protection.

Eric Roach, 22, one of the employees landing the decking, fell approximately 30 feet to the ground and was transported to a local hospital where he died the following day.

Fastrack was a subcontractor to ARCO National Construction-KC, Inc. According to court documents, the contract between ARCO and Fastrack required that Fastrack “personnel who are working or present at heights in excess of 6 feet shall be provided, by (Fastrack) adequate fall protection.” Fastrack failed to enforce the use of fall protection.

No fall protection equipment was provided by the company. Both working foremen on the site were told, or questioned, about the lack of fall protection equipment and were in a position to personally observe employees failing to use fall protection equipment. At least one of the foremen was working on the decking in the immediate area of the employees; he failed to wear fall protection himself and failed to enforce the use of fall protection by the employees.

Federal statutes require that each employee engaged in a steel erection activity who is on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet above a lower level shall be protected from fall hazards by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning device systems or fall restraint systems.

DNRB voluntarily dissolved as a Missouri corporation on Jan. 15, 2016.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul S. Becker and Stacey Perkins Rock, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evert Van Wijk and Rachel Parsons, both of the Department of Labor – Office of Solicitor. It was investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Chinese national pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in an international, multi-million dollar software piracy scheme.

Wen Tao Liu, also known as Orland Liu, 37, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy and one count of trafficking in counterfeit labels. Liu was arrested on June 15, 2016, at Dallas Fort Worth International airport on an American Airlines flight during his return flight to China, and remains in federal custody.

Investigators have seized more than $20 million in assets from defendants in several separate but related cases, who are estimated to have sold in excess of $100 million worth of illicit, unauthorized and counterfeit software products to thousands of online customers.

Liu, doing business as Haitu International Group Co. Limited (an entity based in Hong Kong), participated in a conspiracy with Casey Lee Ross of Kansas City, Mo. (doing business as Software Slashers), David Reece of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and others from March 10, 2010, to Feb. 2, 2015, to commit the offenses of unauthorized solicitation of access devices, trafficking in counterfeit goods and smuggling goods into the United States.

Liu obtained and sold counterfeit, illicit, and/or unauthorized Microsoft software, software products and related components, including unauthorized product key codes and counterfeit product key cards, causing the Microsoft Corporation millions of dollars in losses. (Product key codes are used to obtain full access to unlocked, licensed versions of various copyrighted software programs.)

At the time of his arrest, Liu possessed approximately 318,213 unauthorized Microsoft product key codes, which he had obtained from illicit sources and sold to others. Those product key codes, worth approximately $250 each, constitutes a loss of approximately $79,553,250 to Microsoft.

Liu also admitted that he sold 500 counterfeit Microsoft Office “Lenovo” product key cards to an undercover law enforcement agent for $35,000.

Liu is the eighth defendant to plead guilty in the software piracy scheme. The investigation began when federal agents in Kansas City, Mo., learned in 2013 that Ross had purchased (and redistributed) tens of thousands of illegitimate and unauthorized Microsoft product key codes and counterfeit product key cards from sources in China.

Ross pleaded guilty and has been sentenced in a separate but related case. Ross admitted that he distributed tens of thousands of these illegitimate and unauthorized product key codes and counterfeit Microsoft product key cards to co-conspirators in the United States, who in turn sold the product key codes and counterfeit product key cards through their respective Web sites as well as on e-commerce sites such as eBay or Amazon.

Reece pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in a separate but related case. Reece admitted that he received approximately $2.5 million worth of illicit software key cards. Reece then resold them to other illicit software suppliers and customers. Liu admitted today that he sent approximately 20 shipments of contraband to Reece between Sept. 21, 2013, and March 14, 2015, with each shipment containing approximately 500 Microsoft Office “Lenovo” product key cards, for a total of approximately 10,000 contraband items. At an estimated loss of $250 per item, this constitutes a total loss of approximately $2.5 million.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Daly and Curt Bohling. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a North Kansas City, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to embezzling more than $277,000 from her former employer.

Tonya A. Topel, 40, of North Kansas City, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to a federal information that charges her with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Topel was a senior auditor at Construction Benefits Audit Corporation (CBAC), a Kansas City, Mo., non-profit corporation that conducts employer audits of union contracts for employers making payments into fringe benefit plans, and ensures fringe benefit payments are made correctly. Topel, who earned approximately $68,000 a year, managed audits and staff and presented ongoing audits. She handled expense payments and had sole access to CBAC’s QuickBooks.

By pleading guilty today, Topel admitted that she conducted four fraudulent embezzlement schemes while employed at CBAC. She began her first scheme, in which she created false invoices for toner cartridges, on Oct. 18, 2012, just a few months after she started working at CBAC. She then added three more fraud schemes, which continued until CBAC discovered her embezzlement and she resigned in May 2016.

Through her four fraud schemes, Topel embezzled a total of at least $277,681 from CBAC. The investigation to date has shown Topel’s spending of the embezzled funds included travel to Hawaii, Dallas, Boston, and the Bahamas; restaurants; entertainment, including golf, spas, tickets for the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs and Worlds of Fun; a 2014 Ford Mustang; and personal spending such as cash, clothing, dance classes, utility bills, jewelry, transfers to relatives, bank fees/NSF fees, iPads, groceries, and other living expenses.

In Topel’s first scheme to defraud CBAC, she created false invoices for toner cartridges and correspondingly altered CBAC American Express monthly statements to make it appear the toner invoices were being charged to CBAC’s American Express account. Topel submitted the invoices and altered American Express bills to CBAC. CBAC then paid for the false toner invoices to American Express. In reality, Topel made personal charges to the CBAC American Express card, which CBAC paid. Topel submitted her first false toner invoice on Oct. 18, 2012, and continued this scheme through May 2015, during which time she embezzled approximately $45,809.

In her second scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel falsely inflated her payroll checks and made payments to a false IRA plan (which was actually her own bank account). Topel began this scheme in March 2013 and continued it into 2016, during which time she embezzled approximately $24,777.

In her third scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel used a former vendor’s name to create a false email address, false street address, 72 false invoices, and false IRS forms. Topel created the false invoices in amounts ranging from $1,080 to $4,680, made payable to bank accounts controlled by her. Through this scheme, Topel embezzled approximately $188,599.

In her fourth scheme to defraud CBAC, Topel misused a company credit card by charging personal expenses, such as a vacation to the Bahamas, to the card beginning in 2016. Topel then paid the CBAC’s company credit card bill using CBAC’s bank account. Topel created at least five false paystubs in which she showed deductions from her paycheck in order to reimburse CBAC, however, she made no reimbursements for her use of the company credit card. Through this scheme, Topel embezzled approximately $19,780.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Topel must pay a money judgment of at least $277,681 and forfeit to the government a 2014 Ford Mustang.

Under federal statutes, Topel is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for wire fraud, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in federal prison without parole for aggravated identity theft. 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 Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kentucky man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after law enforcement officers in Lafayette County, Mo., found more than 4 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in his vehicle.

Kenneth W. Dowell, 48, of Waynesburg, Ken., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to the charge contained in a June 10, 2015, federal indictment. Dowell remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Dowell was the passenger in a 2004 Toyota 4Runner stopped near the H Highway exit ramp on Interstate 70 by a Lafayette County sheriff’s deputy for traffic violations on May 19, 2015. The deputy noted that Dowell and the driver of the vehicle appeared to be nervous and provided conflicting information when questioned separately.

When the driver declined to consent to a search of the vehicle, the deputy requested that a K-9 officer from the Higginsville, Mo., police department respond to conduct a K-9 sniff of the exterior of the vehicle. The K-9 gave a positive alert, indicating the presence of a controlled substance. Officers examined a spare tire that was located under a blanket and found 10 gallon-sized plastic bags that contained a total of 4,458 grams of methamphetamine inside a blue bag in the tire. Officers also found 3.4 grams of methamphetamine in a cigarette box in Dowell’s jacket.

Officers located a rubber-banded bundle of $100 bills totaling $2,900 under the front passenger seat. Wilson also had $1,622 in his possession.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the Lafayette County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former IRS employee pleaded guilty in federal court today to filing false tax returns.

Carla Lachelle Mitchell, 49, of Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charge contained in a Jan. 13, 2017, federal indictment.

Mitchell worked as a contact representative at the IRS Service Center in Kansas City, Mo., from 2006 to 2015. By pleading guilty today, Mitchell admitted that while employed by the IRS she prepared false federal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 for 13 of her friends and family, as well as herself.

When preparing tax returns, Mitchell included several false entries (such as fraudulent wages or dependents) to lower the individual tax liability for her friends, family members and herself or to increase their refunds. Mitchell has been linked to 27 fraudulent returns through her admissions, witness statements and IP addresses. The total tax loss for the 27 false and fraudulent income tax returns is approximately $118,012.

Under federal statutes, Mitchell is subject to a sentence of up to three 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 Kathleen D. Mahoney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that three Kansas City, Mo., men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to kidnap and torture an Independence, Mo., man.

Gerald L. Holmes, also known as “Jerry” or “Joker,” 25, his father, Randal G. Holmes, also known as “Peckerwood” or “Wood,” 53, and Richard M. Phoenix, also known as “Snake,” 75, all of Kansas City, were charged in a five-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 30, 2017. That indictment was unsealed and made public following the arrests and initial court appearances of Gerald and Randal Holmes, who remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing today. Phoenix is a fugitive from justice.

State charges previously filed against the three defendants will be dismissed in lieu of federal prosecution.

The federal indictment alleges that Gerald and Randal Holmes and Phoenix participated in a conspiracy to kidnap and kill the victim, identified as “C.H.,” on Sept. 12 and 13, 2016.

According to the indictment, Gerald and Randal Holmes arrived at the Independence, Mo., residence of the victim’s father, identified as “W.H.,” on Sept. 12, 2016. They allegedly told W.H. they wanted to speak with C.H. about money that was intended to be used to purchase marijuana, which they claimed C.H. had stolen from Gerald Holmes.

During their conversation, the indictment says, Gerald Holmes removed a firearm from his waistband and placed it on the table in front of W.H. Randal Holmes instructed W.H. to call C.H. and tell him he was being held at gunpoint and that C.H. needed to come to the residence right away.

When C.H. arrived at the residence, Randal Holmes allegedly pointed a firearm at him and told him to get into his vehicle. While in the vehicle, Gerald Holmes struck, punched and choked C.H. as Randal Holmes drove away.

They took C.H. to Randal Holmes’s residence, the indictment says, where they were met by Phoenix. C.H. was taken to the basement, where Gerald Holmes allegedly continued to assault him with fists, a hammer and tin snips/clippers. During the assault, Randal Holmes repeatedly demanded that C.H. disclose where the duffle bag containing the money was located. When Randal and Gerald Holmes left to retrieve the duffle bag, Randal Holmes allegedly handed Phoenix a firearm and told him to shoot C.H. if he attempted to move off the desk where he had been placed during the assault. Phoenix allegedly held C.H. at gunpoint until they returned to the residence.

Randal and Gerald Holmes later drove C.H. to a rural residence near Edwards, Mo. As Randal Holmes drove them to the residence, Gerald Holmes continued to strike C.H. with fists and the butt of a firearm. When they arrived at the residence, C.H. was told to call his father and to tell him that he was okay, that he had taken a beating, that he would be home in a couple of days and that he deserved what had happened.

In addition to the conspiracy, Gerald and Randal Holmes and Phoenix are charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of brandishing firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence. They allegedly brandished a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol, a Hi Point 9mm pistol and another pistol of unknown caliber in furtherance of the conspiracy and the kidnapping.

Randal and Gerald Holmes are each charged separately with one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. Randal was allegedly in possession of a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol and a Heritage Manufacturing .22-calbier revolver. Gerald Holmes was allegedly in possession of an FN Herstal .40-caliber pistol, a Remington .270-caliber rifle an RG .22-caliber revolver, a Ruger .22-caliber rifle and a Mossberg 20-gauge shotgun.

Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Benton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Raytown, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a bankruptcy fraud scheme in order to prevent dozens of rental properties from being sold by the county for failure to pay property taxes.

Kenneth Mabrie, 67, of Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of aiding and abetting bankruptcy fraud.

Mabrie was an intercity landlord who did not pay his Jackson County property taxes nor the city assessments on the properties he owns and rents. When the properties went into foreclosure by Jackson County in 2009 and again in 2011, Mabrie filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceeding shortly before the sale of the properties at the annual August auction. The bankruptcy petitions were soon dismissed for failure to file required information, but prevented the foreclosure and Mabrie continued to collect rent from the properties (including money from the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, also known as the Section 8 tenant-based assistance program).

Co-defendant Curtis Jones, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., has also pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme.

Jones filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 22, 2012, five days before the date of the auction sale. Jones listed 31 tax delinquent properties in his bankruptcy petition. Jones was deeded 17 of those properties from Mabrie one day prior to the filing. Seven of those properties were included in Mabrie’s 2011 bankruptcy petition. An additional two properties listed by Jones were privately owned by Mabrie at the time of the filing. The remaining 12 properties were deeded to Jones one day prior to filing from other persons. The majority of the remaining 12 properties had some sort of nexus to Mabrie; for example, of the remaining 12 properties, Mabrie owned 10 of the properties previously, and one of the properties was deeded from Mabrie’s daughter. Jones’s bankruptcy petition was dismissed on Sept. 7, 2012, for failure to file information.

Jones filed for bankruptcy again on Aug. 23, 2013, the same day of the auction sale. Jones listed 29 tax delinquent properties in his bankruptcy petition. Two of those properties were deeded from Mabrie on the day of the filing and 26 of the properties had been included in the 2012 petition. This bankruptcy petition was dismissed on Sept. 13, 2013, for failure to file information.

The loss amount to Jackson County was $92,040. This represents only the most recent tax bill as included in the bankruptcy filings (2010 or 2011 or 2012), less any money Mabrie or Jones paid to Jackson County following the bankruptcy filings (as of September 2015).

Under federal statutes, Mabrie and Jones are each subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kirbyville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Thomas R. Keller, 37, of Kirbyville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to seven years in federal prison without parole, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release.

On May 4, 2017, Keller pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, Keller downloaded seven videos and 371 images of child pornography onto his computer. Keller admitted that he had been downloading child pornography onto his computer for two to three years, and his age of preference was 14- or 15-year-old children.

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 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. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Mo., day care operator was charged in federal court today with attempting to kidnap the infant daughter of a client and take the infant to Arkansas to be adopted by another couple.

Lasonya Poindexter, 30, of Joplin, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo. Poindexter, who was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, Poindexter began taking care of a Joplin couple’s two children at her home day care in April 2017. Poindexter allegedly contacted a couple in Lincoln, Ark., and began making arrangements for the couple to adopt one of those children, a five-month-old daughter identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1. The infant’s parents had never put Jane Doe 1 up for adoption, nor had they ever told anyone that Jane Doe 1 was available to be adopted.

Poindexter made at least four trips to Lincoln so that the Arkansas couple could spend time with Jane Doe 1, the affidavit says, with each visit lasting two to three hours. Jane Doe 1’s parents had never given Poindexter permission to take their daughter across state lines to Arkansas and were unaware that any of the trips occurred. The Arkansas couple usually met with Poindexter at the home of Poindexter’s aunt, but one visit was at the couple’s own home (where they had prepared a nursery room for Jane Doe 1).

Poindexter falsely told the Arkansas couple that the infant’s mother had left her baby at Poindexter’s house and wanted her to find a good family for Jane Doe 1, the affidavit says, because she was the product of a rape. Poindexter told the Arkansas couple that Jane Doe 1’s mother wanted a closed adoption. Poindexter had sent the Arkansas couple a photo (screen shot), via Facebook Messenger, of a legal document purported to be from an attorney regarding the adoption. The attorney later told investigators he had never represented Poindexter, had any communication with her and was not involved with any adoption proceeding with Jane Doe 1.

According to the affidavit, the Arkansas couple became suspicious that the adoption was not valid, the affidavit says, but Poindexter continued to reassure them.

On July 20, 2017, after being contacted by the Arkansas couple, Jane Doe 1’s parents contacted law enforcement.

Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the FBI and the Missouri Division of Family Services.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing several firearms that he stole during a series of home burglaries.

Stephan Alben Whelan, 22, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps to being an illegal drug user in possession of firearms.

Whelan was arrested on Dec. 8, 2016, when a Cole County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy stopped a black Toyota with temporary tags in which Whelan was a passenger. Numerous burglaries had been reported in several counties in the mid-Missouri area from approximately September 2016 to December 2016, and the deputy recalled that a black Toyota with temporary tags had been referenced in reports of local burglaries. As the deputy overtook the Toyota, he observed numerous items in it that appeared to be items reported stolen in the local burglaries. The deputy then initiated a traffic stop. The deputy checked the serial number of one of the items in the vehicle and learned it had been reported stolen from Miller County, Mo. Whelan was then placed under arrest.

Whelan told officers that he and other individuals were involved in multiple burglaries in the mid-Missouri area. He stated he was involved in so many burglaries that he could not remember where specific items were taken from and when they were taken. He traded the stolen items for methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers executed search warrants and recovered numerous stolen items, including several firearms that had been reported stolen.

Whelan admitted that he stole a Browning 12-gauge shotgun and a Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 caliber rifle from a residence in Lohman, Mo. Whelan traded the firearms, which were eventually recovered by law enforcement, for a quarter-ounce of methamphetamine.

Whelan also admitted that he stole a Marlin 30-30 caliber rifle from a residence in Moniteau County, Mo. Whelan told investigators that he was on methamphetamine during the burglary, and after the burglary threw the rifle out the window of a car. The firearm was later recovered.

Under federal statutes, Whelan is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cole County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Eldon, Mo., Police Department.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today after he shot at police officers who were executing a search warrant at his residence.

Ardaris Webb Cheatham, 33, of Jefferson City, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Cheatham on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, and contains additional charges.

Today’s indictment charges Cheatham with one count of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, one count of discharging a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime and one count of assaulting a federal law enforcement task force officer. The indictment also contains the original charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. All of the charges relate to an incident that occurred on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the Jefferson City Police Department SWAT Team executed a search warrant for narcotics at Cheatham’s residence at approximately 12:35 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2017. When officers entered the residence, the affidavit says, Cheatham fired a Beretta .40-caliber pistol at the officers as he retreated into the residence. Cheatham attempted to escape by exiting the basement, but was apprehended by other officers who were stationed outside.

Officers found approximately 27 pounds of marijuana hidden in various locations within
Cheatham’s residence. A methamphetamine pipe with residue was also found in a bedroom.

A witness later told investigators that she purchased the firearm two years ago. She said Cheatham had fired the gun in the past, and sometimes handled the firearm in the residence.

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

Larson cautioned that 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 Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Topeka, Kan., woman was indicted by a federal grand jury today alongside an Independence, Mo., man who was previously indicted on charges related to the sexual exploitation of six child victims.

Cynthia Ann Holman, 44, of Topeka, was charged in a 12-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s superseding indictment replaces a June 2, 2017, indictment that charged only Travis Howard White, 25, of Independence.

The superseding indictment alleges that, between Sept. 1, 2016, and March 1, 2017, Holman and White conspired to transport a minor (identified as Minor Victim 1) across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Today’s indictment also contains the original 11 counts against White. White is charged with enticing Minor Victim 1 to engage in illicit sexual activity from Feb. 5, 2016, to March 1, 2017. The indictment also charges White with two counts of using Minor Victim 1 to produce child pornography. White also is charged with two counts of transferring obscene material to Minor Victim 1, including numerous images depicting horses and dogs engaged in sexual activity with humans.

The indictment also charges White with one count of receiving child pornography over the Internet and five counts of transferring obscene material to a minor under the age of 16, which occurred from August 2016 to January 2017. These charges are related to five additional child victims.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the investigation began when law enforcement agents learned Minor Victim 1 was living with White. She told investigators that she met White online in January 2016, when she was 13 years old and living in Kansas. They began “sexting” and exchanging sexually explicit nude photographs, she said. When she arrived in Kansas City, Mo., in September 2016, she stayed at a hotel for a few days before moving in to live with White. The victim was recovered by the FBI and placed in emergency police protective custody on March 1, 2017.

Investigators found numerous Facebook messages between White and the victim. Their conversations were of a sexual nature, the affidavit says, including instructions from White to the victim about what sorts of pictures to take and what sort of activity to engage in. The victim allegedly sent White several sexually explicit images of herself, the affidavit says, and White in turn sent her a nude image of himself. White also sent the victim approximately three dozen images depicting horses and dogs engaged in the sexually explicit abuse of females of varying and indeterminate age, according to the affidavit.

White told investigators he engaged in sexual activity with the victim at numerous locations in the metropolitan area, the affidavit says. White said he engaged in similar sexual discussions with approximately “50 to 100” other females, a number of whom were underage, via Facebook and other means.

Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.

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. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today after police officers found thousands of fake driver’s licenses during a search of his residence.

Tracy Allan Ford, 27, of Lee’s Summit, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to a federal information that charges him with one count of producing fraudulent identification documents.

Lee’s Summit police officers executed a search warrant at Ford’s residence on Sept. 29, 2015, after receiving an anonymous tip. Among the items seized from the residence were over 2,300 copies of counterfeit Missouri driver’s licenses (in various stages of production), counterfeit driver’s license producing hardware (such as milling machines and laminators), printers, flash drives and several computers.

Ford told investigators that he had been producing fraudulent Missouri driver’s licenses for profit for the past three years. Ford used specialized materials that he ordered online, including sheets of holograms from a company in China. Lee’s Summit detectives earlier had located a FedEx package, addressed to Ford, which contained multiple sheets of lamination with “Missouri” printed on them. The package was re-sealed and allowed to be delivered to Ford’s address.

The investigation of Ford began on Jan. 26, 2015, when a Lee’s Summit police officer observed an apparently underage female purchase two bottles of rum at Discount Smokes and Liquor. The officer checked with the store clerk and learned that the woman had presented a Missouri driver’s license that indicated her birth year was 1991, thus making it legal for her to purchase alcohol. Because the officer did not believe she was 21 years old, he began an investigation.

When the officer interviewed the woman, he learned that she was only 19 years old and had used a professionally made, fraudulent Missouri driver’s license that she ordered from Ford via e-mail. She paid Ford for the driver’s license by placing money on a “green dot” card and providing the account numbers to Ford via e-mail.

Under federal statutes, Ford is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department and the Missouri Department of Revenue.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former wedding photographer in Raymore, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for a fraud scheme to dupe dozens of women into having sex – which he recorded – under the guise they were rehearsing for a pornography movie.

Mario Ambrose Antoine, 34, of Raymore, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On May 12, 2017, Antoine pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Antoine admitted that he defrauded numerous victims in a scheme that lasted from Aug. 28, 2011, until Oct. 11, 2016. Antoine, posing in various roles as a company owner, recruiter, talent manager, photographer and videographer for multiple fictitious companies and private modeling websites (such as “Playboy Worldwide,” and “Playboy Asia”), induced women to engage in sexual and pornographic activity with him. Antoine promised the women, who signed contracts and modeling release forms, they would be paid thousands of dollars by these fictitious entities for their auditioning and modeling activity.

More than two dozen women victimized by this scheme were identified and located by investigators. Victims of the wire fraud scheme were promised payments cumulatively totaling at least $550,000 and as much as $1.5 million.

According to court documents, weeks and months would pass and none of these women were ever paid. When the young women asked when the money would arrive, they were given excuses. Eventually, in many cases, Antoine engaged in a blackmail and extortion scheme. He created fake Facebook profiles through which he contacted the friends, boyfriends or employers of these women and informed them that the young woman was a porn star. These messages would often be accompanied by pictures of the young women engaged in sexual activity.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick D. Daly and David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI, the Raymore, Mo., Police Department and the Office of the Missouri Attorney General.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with illegally possessing a firearm after he shot at police officers who were executing a search warrant at his residence.

Ardaris Webb Cheatham of Jefferson City was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City. Cheatham had his initial court appearance today and remains in federal custody.

Today’s complaint alleges that Cheatham, who is a felon, was in possession of a loaded Beretta .40-caliber pistol on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, the Jefferson City Police Department SWAT Team executed a search warrant for narcotics at Cheatham’s residence at approximately 12:35 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2017. When officers entered the residence, the affidavit says, Cheatham fired at the officers as he retreated into the residence. Cheatham attempted to escape by exiting the basement, but was apprehended by other officers who were stationed outside.

Officers found approximately 27 pounds of marijuana hidden in various locations within
Cheatham’s residence. A methamphetamine pipe with residue was also found in a bedroom.

A witness later told investigators that she purchased the firearm two years ago. She said Cheatham had fired the gun in the past, and sometimes handled the firearm in the residence.

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

Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former paramedic with two northwest Missouri ambulance districts pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing pain-killing drugs and replacing the vials with water.

Joseph L. Comstock, 31, of Bethany, Mo., waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to a federal information that charges him with three counts of tampering with a consumer product (fentanyl and morphine) with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk.

By pleading guilty today, Comstock admitted that he emptied vials of morphine and fentanyl, taking it for his own personal use, and replaced the pain-killing drugs with sterilized water. Comstock tampered with the drug vials while working at both the NTA Ambulance District in Bethany and the Community Ambulance District of Daviess County in Gallatin, Mo., in 2014 and 2015.

Comstock started tampering with drugs in March 2014, following a medical procedure to remove his tonsils. He accessed drugs on ambulances and was able to bend up the lid of the plastic boxes and dump out the drugs he wished to tamper with. He obtained both fentanyl and morphine from ambulances and replaced the drugs with sterile water.

Comstock admitted there were at least two occasions where he personally treated patients with drugs he knew he had tampered with. These patients were both hip fracture patients that were supposed to receive fentanyl but instead received sterile water that Comstock had replaced in the vial.

Federal officials were notified on March 4, 2015, of possible drug tampering at the NTA Ambulance District in Bethany. The chief of EMS reported that an employee had noticed two morphine syringes had broken tamper-evident seals. On Jan. 30, 2015, an employee noticed that two morphine syringes had broken tamper-evident seals. On Feb. 27, 2015, ambulance employees looked through narcotic boxes kept on the three NTA ambulances. They found a number of drugs that were missing tamper-evidence caps and had broken tamper-evident seals, including midazolam, lorazepam, morphine and fentanyl.

Federal agents installed surveillance equipment at the Bethany NTA building on March 18, 2015. A camera was also placed on an ambulance, which was taken out of service. Comstock was recorded on the surveillance video as he stole morphine from the ambulance on two separate occasions on March 19 and March 23, 2015. Comstock later admitted that he had tampered with drugs on all the ambulances prior to that as well.

Comstock also admitted that he tampered with drugs when he visited the Gallatin ambulance building on Feb. 24, 2015. An employee found Comstock (who had stopped working at the Gallatin ambulance company in June 2014) inside the Gallatin ambulance building. Comstock explained he had come by the Gallatin facility to use the treadmill. Later that same day, the employee went on a service call and treated a man suffering from leg pain with 100 mcg of fentanyl; however, the man did not receive any pain relief. When the employee returned, he examined the narcotics cabinet and found several fentanyl vials with loose caps, as well as morphine that appeared to have been tampered with.

The Gallatin ambulance director told federal agents about another suspicious situation at his ambulance building involving Comstock that occurred a week earlier. On Feb. 17, 2015, Comstock stopped by the ambulance building to visit with another paramedic. The next day, another employee checked the narcotics cabinet and noticed two fentanyl vials without their tamper-resistant caps. Subsequently several other fentanyl vials were discovered to have been tampered with.

Under federal statutes, Comstock is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on each of the three counts. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Davids. It was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigation and the Bethany, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Springfield, Mo., business owner has been sentenced in federal court for a wire fraud scheme in which she embezzled more than $800,000 from her clients, and for failing to pay more than $170,000 in taxes on any of the embezzled income.

Rebecca Pargeon, 58, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, to four years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Pargeon to pay $948,273 in restitution to her victims.

On April 10, 2017, Pargeon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to filing a false tax return.

Pargeon owned and operated three different medical payment collection businesses – Pargeon Medical Services, LLC, Kids First Pediatric Billing, LLC, and Surgical Billing Solutions, LLC. Pargeon was hired by medical practitioners throughout the country to collect monies owed by their patients and insurance companies as payment for medical services provided. Upon collecting monies owed to a medical practitioner, Pargeon was contractually obligated to deposit the checks she received into the practitioner’s bank account. At the end of each month, the practitioners would pay her a percentage of the monies her businesses collected on their behalf.

Pargeon embezzled $813,780 from her clients from Jan. 11, 2012, to April 26, 2016. Pargeon took payments she collected, which were made payable to the medical practitioners, and fraudulently deposited them into her business and personal bank accounts without the approval or authority of the medical practitioner. Pargeon did not have the authority to sign their names, endorse any of the checks, or deposit them into her business or personal bank accounts. Pargeon admitted that she fraudulently endorsed and deposited over 740 checks made payable to her medical practitioner clients.

Pargeon also admitted that she failed to report the embezzled income on her federal tax returns for 2012 through 2015. This resulted in a total tax loss to the government of $170,493, without penalty or interest. Pargeon, who prepared the tax returns herself utilizing the Turbo Tax computer tax program, specifically pleaded guilty to failing to report $232,929 in income received from the fraud scheme and earned from her businesses in 2012.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kirksville, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling more than $380,000 from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in Columbia, Mo.

Burt Louis Beard, 62, of Kirksville, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2017, to a federal information that charges him with bank fraud.

By pleading guilty, Beard admitted that he defrauded the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity of $380,502 during the period between March 2008 and August 2014.

Beard was the volunteer treasurer from 2000 to 2014. During that time, Beard was responsible for all financial duties related to maintaining the house, paying various vendors and collecting rent checks.

Beard wrote himself in excess of 150 checks. Beard claimed the checks to himself were for reimbursement of personal loans to SAE for direct payments he made to venders. When asked for copies of his personal checks, Beard supplied copies of checks to fictitious vendors or existing vendors that did not have an account receivable for that amount or during that period. In cases where Beard supplied vendor invoices for his reimbursements, vendors said the invoices were not theirs.

SAE elected a new slate of officers for the fraternity in the fall of 2014. During the transition of financial responsibilities from Beard to the new treasurer, numerous red flags began to appear. SAE hired RGL Forensics, a forensic accounting company, to investigate Beard’s wrongdoing. Based on the documentation provided and reviewed, RGL calculated $380,502 as the entire loss from March 2008 through September 2014. The calculated loss consisted of $414,979 in checks issued to Beard from March 2008 through September 2014, less $34,477 in payments that Beard issued to or on behalf of SAE.

Under federal statutes, Beard 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 defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Brattleboro, Vt., man has been sentenced in federal court for the aggravated sexual abuse of a 6-year-old child at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Paul Kickery, Sr., 68, of Brattleboro, formerly of Fort Leonard Wood, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, to 30 years and four months in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 26, 2017, Kickery pleaded guilty to the aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

According to court documents, the victim reported that she had been sexually assaulted by Kickery multiple times over the course of approximately a year. During the time of the sexual assaults, between July 1, 2013, and July 31, 2014, both Kickery and the then-6-year-old victim were residing on the U.S. Army Military Base at Fort Leonard Wood.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Kickery admitted to sexually abusing the victim. Kickery also admitted to molesting a 15-year-old child while he lived in Vermont, and to viewing child pornography on the Internet, mainly of children between the ages of 10 and 15.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI and the Brattleboro, Vt., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Jason L. Clark, 38, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Clark was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On March 21, 2017, Clark pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Co-defendant Carlos A. Hill, 42, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty on March 15, 2017, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to distributing crack cocaine. Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 11, 2017.

Clark admitted that he and Hill were present at their residence when a confidential informant purchased a stolen Inter Ordnance 7.62 x 39mm rifle on May 25, 2016. When the informant arrived to purchase the rifle, Hill pointed towards the bed of a red El Camino that was parked in front of the residence. The informant picked up a black plastic trash bag with the rifle inside it from the bed of the vehicle. When the informant started to pay Hill $600 for the rifle, Hill directed the informant to pay Clark for the purchase of the firearm. Clark then got into the El Camino and drove away.

On June 14, 2016, the confidential informant again met with Hill at his residence. Hill was packaging crack cocaine into distribution quantities and had approximately 18 ounces of crack cocaine already packaged. The informant saw Clark and others in the kitchen of the residence converting powder cocaine into crack cocaine. The informant saw approximately half a kilogram of cocaine inside the residence.

Clark was arrested on June 21, 2016, following a traffic stop after leaving Hill’s residence. Officers found an FNH 9mm pistol under the center console of the vehicle as well as several plastic baggies of cocaine, marijuana and alprazolam.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Clark has three prior felony convictions for distribution of a controlled substance, two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, and prior felony convictions for trafficking and for aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after he fired at a woman and her children.

Senecca T. Spencer, 41, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Today’s sentence is the maximum penalty provided under the statute.

On Feb. 2, 2017, Spencer pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Spencer admitted he was in possession of a Jimenez Arms 9mm pistol and ammunition on May 25, 2016.

Independence police officers were called to an Independence residence on a report of a domestic violence disturbance on May 25, 2016. Spencer had pointed and discharged the firearm in the direction of a woman and her two minor children.

Spencer had already left by the time officers arrived at the residence, but he was located later that same evening and stopped in his vehicle near the intersection of 43rd Street and Phelps. As he was being placed under arrest, a police officer found a 9mm cartridge in Spencer’s front left pocket. The loaded 9mm pistol was discovered in the center console area of the vehicle.

Spencer also admitted that he made threatening telephone calls to the victim while he was incarcerated in federal custody. During these telephone calls, Spencer threatened her with violence, harm and death. Spencer also admitted he contacted the victim’s daughter by telephone. Spencer’s telephone calls were intended to coerce, intimidate, and compel her to become an uncooperative witness/victim in hopes of minimizing his potential prison sentence.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Spencer has four prior felony conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon and seven prior felony convictions for assault and battery, and prior felony convictions for assault and battery on a police officer, armed robbery and possession with intent to distribute/manufacture a controlled substance.

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

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine.

Mario Alberto De La Cruz, 43, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps to the charge contained in a June 15, 2016, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, De La Cruz admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Columbia, Mo., and elsewhere from Aug. 2 to Nov. 10, 2015. De La Cruz also admitted that he engaged in several controlled transactions in which he sold cocaine to a confidential law enforcement informant in 2015.

On Aug. 28, 2015, the confidential informant contacted De La Cruz and arranged to purchase two ounces of cocaine. The confidential informant sent a text to De La Cruz stating, “Hey bud leaving for a bachelor party in an hour totally forgot to text yesterday bout 20 of us headed our camping could use 2 big loads of wood (two ounces of cocaine) asap!!!!Leaving in an hour.” The confidential informant was provided with $1,900 in investigative funds. De La Cruz met the confidential informant and exchanged 56 grams of cocaine for the cash.

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

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a convicted sex offender in Monett, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Carl Donald Greiner, 37, of Monett, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to the charge contained in a July 20, 2016, federal indictment.

Greiner was convicted of possessing child pornography, sexual misconduct and furnishing pornographic material to a minor in 2004. He was also convicted of statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy in 2006.

According to today’s plea agreement, a person using Greiner’s computer reported to police officers on April 30, 2016, that she saw a large amount of child pornography on the computer located in his bedroom, including videos of children ranging in age from 4 to 17. Officers executed a search warrant at Greiner’s residence the same day and seized his desktop computer along with an address book with Internet addresses.

Investigators discovered multiple images and videos of child pornography on Greiner’s computer that had been downloaded from the Internet.

Under federal statutes, Greiner 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 the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes 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."

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former employee at a Springfield, Mo., middle school was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Carrie Anne Allred, 34, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Allred was immediately taken into custody at the conclusion of today’s sentencing hearing.

On March 22, 2017, Allred pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing child pornography, and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

Prior to her arrest, Allred worked for five years in the kitchen at Wilson Creek Middle School. An officer with the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force was conducting an undercover investigation on Sept. 20, 2012, and identified Allred’s computer as sharing images of child pornography over the Internet through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence on Jan. 8, 2013, and seized a computer and two hard drives.

According to court documents, Allred video-recorded her dog performing a sexual act on a four-year-old child. Investigators located a substantial amount of child pornography of prepubescent children during their forensic examination of Allred’s electronic devices. Allred also admitted that she broadcasted, via webcam, videos of herself engaged in bestiality with her dogs.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI 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. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

Christopher Waldorf, 30, of West Plains, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to four years and three months in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 14, 2016, Waldorf pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Waldorf admitted that he possessed a loaded Taurus 9mm firearm on Sept. 3, 2015.

West Plains police officers were dispatched to a residence on Sept. 3, 2015, in response to a call for gunshots fired. When officers arrived, they determined that Waldorf became involved in an argument with another individual and, during that argument, fired the handgun.

The victim of Waldorf’s assault told officers that as he exited his vehicle, Waldorf approached him in an aggressive manner and said that he was going to kill him. Waldorf produced a pistol and fired one shot over the victim’s head. The victim stated that after the first shot, he grabbed Waldorf’s hand and pushed it away from his head. Waldorf responded by striking him along the side of his head with the pistol. The victim told officers that as Waldorf struck the side of his head, the pistol discharged, nearly striking him. After the second shot Waldorf ran inside his residence.

Officers found Waldorf hiding in a bedroom closet in his residence and placed him under arrest. Officers found the loaded firearm in a dresser drawer.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Waldorf has prior felony convictions for the sale of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance.

According to court documents, Waldorf has repeatedly possessed firearms and illegal narcotics and has been repeatedly arrested by the West Plains police department. Less than two months prior to Waldorf’s actions in this case, he was arrested for sale of methamphetamine and possession of ammunition. Approximately three months after this incident, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of Waldorf’s residence and discovered numerous firearms, ammunition and drug paraphernalia containing drug residue.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the West Plains, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner of several Springfield, Mo., area restaurants was sentenced in federal court today for a more than $5.5 million bank fraud scheme.

Bruce Swisshelm, 70, of Battlefield, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Swisshelm to pay $5,592,583 in restitution.

Swisshelm was the owner of Horned Frog Deli, Inc., and Swisshelm Properties, Inc. These corporations, which specialized in the restaurant industry, owned and developed commercial properties in Springfield and elsewhere. Swisshelm owned and operated Burger King restaurants, Macaroni Grill restaurants, San Francisco Oven restaurants, McAlister’s Deli restaurants, Ebbett’s Field restaurants and a Fog City Coffee restaurant.

On July 22, 2015, Swisshelm pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering. Swisshelm was originally sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Jan. 22, 2016, but the government appealed that sentence. The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found Swisshelm violated the terms of his plea agreement and ordered the case to be re-sentenced.

Swisshelm admitted that he submitted false financial documents to Great Southern Bank in order to receive four commercial loans, totaling $5,592,583, from February to June 25, 2011. The bank relied on the false information provided within the financial statements submitted by Swisshelm when it approved the commercial loans.

According to court documents, Swisshelm knew his businesses had lost money for several years and were on the brink of bankruptcy. He gambled away what little money remained, and Arvest Bank, his original bank, denied numerous requests for extensions on his existing loans and his request for additional financing. Instead of simply declaring bankruptcy or selling off a portion of his assets to potentially preserve a part of his business, Swisshelm perpetrated a multi-million dollar fraud against Great Southern Bank.

Swisshelm intentionally traded on his reputation and deceived officials with Great Southern Bank into believing that his businesses were in good financial heath and he was able to repay these multi-million dollar loans. When asked for his tax documents, he again lied to Great Southern Bank officials and claimed the documents were not complete.

Swisshelm instead submitted financial statements to the bank that claimed his businesses earned a net income of more than $780,000 in 2010. Tax documents submitted by Swisshelm to the Internal Revenue Service revealed those businesses had losses that exceeded $1.8 million in 2010.

Almost immediately after receiving these monies from Great Southern Bank, Swisshelm failed to make even his minimum payment requirements toward the loan. Within approximately 60 days Swisshelm filed for bankruptcy and attempted to have the entire $5.5 million loan excused by the bankruptcy court.

Officials with Great Southern Bank began investigating the representations made by Swisshelm when he applied for these loans. During the bank’s initial investigation and a subsequent investigation by law enforcement, it was determined that nearly every representation made by Swisshelm as to the financial standing of his businesses and restaurants were lies. He claimed that his two primary corporations were either making significant profits or had reversed earlier losses and were breaking even. He also claimed ownership of several restaurants outside the state of Missouri and claimed additional revenue from those businesses as support for approval of his loan request. In truth, both of Swisshelm’s corporations and his associated restaurants were losing vast sums of money. At the time his multi-million dollar loan was approved, his out-of-state restaurants, which he had claimed to Great Southern Bank were making money, had actually been closed, shuttered, or seized by his creditors for outstanding debts owed.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.