Western District of Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Marshfield, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing mail and using the stolen contents to commit check and credit card fraud.

Annette West, 46, of Marshfield, waived her right to grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate judge David P. Rush to a three-count information that charges her with stealing mail, depositing a fraudulent check and credit card fraud.

By pleading guilty today, West admitted that she stole mail (or caused mail to be stolen) from the mailboxes of 16 individual victims between Oct. 29 and Dec. 9, 2016. West stole the contents of that mail, which included checks, credit cards, Social Security cards, and personal identification cards belonging to the 16 victims. She then used the contents of the stolen mail to engage in fraudulent criminal acts.

West also admitted that she altered a stolen check and fraudulently deposited the check into her personal bank account. West then withdrew the funds from her account.

West also admitted that, aided and abetted by others, she fraudulently conducted financial transactions with stolen credit cards from three of the victims.

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

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that four Kansas City, Mo., residents were charged in federal court today with kidnapping a man and woman at gunpoint.

Jeremy M. Dobson, 30, his brother, Joshua A. Dobson, 25, Courtney J. Devero, 25, and Justin D. Watson, 21, all of Kansas City, were charged in a two-count complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Joshua Dobson and Devero had their initial court appearance this afternoon and remain in federal custody. Watson, who is also in federal custody, will have an initial court appearance on Monday. Jeremy Dobson remains a fugitive from justice.

Today’s criminal complaint charges each of the four co-defendants in one count of kidnapping and one count of using a firearm during a violent crime.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the complaint, a man and a woman were tied to a pole in the basement of a Kansas City, Mo., residence and held at gunpoint. They were allegedly beaten by the kidnappers, who took the male victim with them as they drove across Kansas, eventually leaving him tied up in a remote field as they drove to Colorado. The female victim was released at a local hospital.

On Friday, March 10, 2017, the two victims were at a residence in the 3200 block of E. 27th Street with Jeremy and Joshua Dobson and Devero, Joshua Dobson’s girlfriend, who was house sitting at the residence, as well as an uncharged juvenile female identified as “H.J.” Jeremy allegedly became upset with the female victim, his ex-girlfriend, and punched her in the face. When the male victim intervened and pushed Jeremy Dobson away, the affidavit says, Jeremy Dobson produced a handgun and pointed it at the two victims. Jeremy Dobson fired the handgun at the female victim’s head, the affidavit says, but missed her. Jeremy Dobson allegedly forced the two victims to give him their cell phones and personal items. Jeremy and Joshua Dobson, Devero and H.J. allegedly forced the two victims into the basement and tied them to a support pole with zip ties, rope and electrical wire.

According to the affidavit, the two victims were held in the basement for several hours while Jeremy and Joshua Dobson, Devero and H.J. took turns watching them while in possession of the handgun. Duct tape was placed over the female victim’s mouth, the affidavit says, and the two victims were punched, slapped, kicked and threatened with death. At one point, the affidavit says, they were forced into the trunk of a car for several hours, then led back into the house.

When Watson arrived at the residence the next morning, the affidavit says, Jeremy Dobson, Watson and H.J. forced the male victim into the victim’s vehicle and they left the house. Joshua Dobson and Devero remained at the house with the female victim. After several hours, the female victim begged to go to the hospital, the affidavit says, and Joshua Dobson and Devero dropped her off at Truman Medical Center on March 11, 2017. Police officers who were called to the hospital documented the presence of ligature marks around the victim’s wrist and ankles, as well as redness about her face.

After leaving the residence, Watson drove west on I-70 headed to Colorado. Near Topeka, Kan., Watson stopped at a gas station/convenience store. Watson and H.J. allegedly used the male victim’s debit card to withdraw $1,200 from an ATM. They continued driving west on I-70, the affidavit says, making an additional stop at a sporting goods store, where Jeremy Dobson and H.J. purchased a pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes. As they continued driving, Jeremy Dobson discussed whether to kill the victim, who was in the front passenger’s seat. Watson exited off the interstate in the area of Russell, Kan. The male victim was forced out of the car, bound and gagged, and left in a field. After the kidnappers left, he was able to remove his bindings and made his way to the Russell Police Department.

The kidnappers stopped at a motel and paid for a room. Jeremy Dobson asked Watson to go to Walmart. Instead, the affidavit says, Watson drove back to Kansas City, leaving Jeremy Dobson and H.J. at the motel.

On March 14, 2017, Kansas City police officers located the victim’s vehicle on E. 9th Street in Kansas City and conducted a car stop. Justin Watson, the driver, was arrested.

On March 16, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence where the two victims had been held and arrested Joshua Dobson and Devero.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Marquez. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Topeka, Kan., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to robbing a bank in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

Kishahn Lewis, 20, of Topeka, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to the charge contained in a Sept. 20, 2016, federal indictment.

By pleading guilty today, Lewis admitted that he stole $150 from the National Bank of Kansas City, located in Excelsior Springs, on Sept. 12, 2016. Lewis handed a note to a bank teller that demanded money and claimed he had a weapon. The teller complied with the demand by giving Lewis three $50 bills.

According to court documents, a witness saw Lewis run from the bank and through a parking lot before getting into a gray Volvo. Lewis then drove south to 69 Highway. An Excelsior Springs police officer spotted the Volvo as it entered southbound Interstate 35 from 69 Highway and pulled his patrol car alongside Lewis’s vehicle. When Lewis saw the police officer, he immediately exited onto 291 Highway, and then exited that highway. The police officer located the Volvo parked at the intersection of A Highway and 291 Highway but did not see anyone inside the car. The officer passed the Volvo and radioed to other units that the car was abandoned. However, when the officer circled back, the car was gone. A few minutes later, Pleasant Valley police officers located the Volvo and stopped the car at a Quik Trip at Interstate 35 and Pleasant Valley Road.

Lewis was arrested with the demand note and the three $50 bills in his possession.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin. It was investigated by the FBI, the Excelsior Springs, Mo., Police Department and the Pleasant Valley, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., woman responsible for mail thefts from at least 40 victims in three counties, pleaded guilty in federal court today.

Lisa Beatrice Gee, 29, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to passing a forged check, credit card fraud and stealing mail.

By pleading guilty today, Gee admitted that she was in possession of stolen mail between Jan. 8 and March 17, 2016. When Gee was arrested on March 17, 2016, she was in possession of mail stolen by herself, or others at her direction, from at least 40 different individuals in Greene, Christian and Polk Counties. Gee admitted that she took checks, credit cards, Social Security cards and personal identification cards belonging to those mail theft victims. Gee used the contents of the stolen mail to engage in fraudulent criminal acts.

Gee admitted that she fraudulently conducted financial transactions with credit cards, debit cards, identification cards and personal identification numbers. Gee also passed a forged check on Jan. 23, 2016. Gee altered the check, which had been mailed from one person to another, to make it payable to a third person and deposited the check in that person’s bank account. Shortly thereafter, Gee withdrew the same amount of money from the account in the form of ATM cash withdrawals.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Nixa, Mo., Police Department and the Ozark, Mo., Police Department.

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

Frank A. Kuhn, 52, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to the charge contained in a Jan. 18, 2017, federal indictment. Kuhn was convicted of the deviate sexual assault of a 15-year-old victim in 1994 in Newton County, Mo.

According to court documents, investigators received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding four images of child pornography reported by Yahoo! employees. Kuhn was identified as the user responsible for transmitting the images.

On Nov. 29, 2016, officers executed a search warrant at Kuhn’s residence and seized computers, digital storage media and phones. Investigators found multiple images of child pornography on the digital storage devices.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Blue Springs, Mo., man who was caught three times in the same month with illegal drugs and guns, was sentenced in federal court today.

Damion Cornish, 39, of Blue Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 17, 2016, Cornish pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Cornish was arrested in connection with a domestic disturbance at his residence on May 10, 2016. Blue Springs police officers seized from the residence heroin (24 grams); cocaine (27 grams); methamphetamine (178 grams); marijuana (51 grams) and an assortment of illegal pills. In addition, the police seized an Interarms Firestar .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol from the residence.

On May 19, 2016, Independence police officers conducted a car stop of Cornish’s vehicle and seized heroin (17.99 grams); cocaine (17.73 grams); crack cocaine (.65 grams); methamphetamine (97.5 grams); marijuana (5.75 grams) and an assortment of illegal pills. In addition, officers seized a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol that Cornish was carrying.

Cornish was arrested on May 28, 2016, on federal charges. At the time of his arrest, Blue Springs police officers seized from his residence heroin (14 grams), cocaine (4 grams); methamphetamine (82 grams); and marijuana (439 grams). In addition, police officers seized a firearm and 60 rounds of ammunition belonging to Cornish.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin. It was investigated by the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, 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 two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty in federal court today to their involvement in a large marijuana-growing operation at a federal wildlife refuge in Howard County, Mo.

Carlos Horacio Vasquez-Duarte, 27, and Rigaberto Camacho Reyes, 24, both citizens of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to their roles in the conspiracy.

Law enforcement officers discovered a large marijuana growing operation on federal land at the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 25, 2016. Vasquez-Duarte and Reyes were arrested at the site, approximately one mile from County Road 317 in Howard County. Vasquez-Duarte had a large amount of marijuana in a tarp on his shoulder, and was hauling the marijuana to one of the processing tents nearby as he walked along one of the many paths that connected areas of the operation. Reyes was also carrying marijuana plants at the time he was taken into custody.

The grow operation encompassed approximately five acres and included five tents where marijuana was hung, dried, packaged and processed for delivery. At least three separate locations had marijuana growing, with plants approximately five to six feet tall. Several plants had been pruned and trimmed to allow the marijuana plants to grow larger and produce a maximum amount of raw marijuana.

The grow operation contained hundreds of marijuana plants in the ground, cut plants drying in the tents, raw marijuana prepared for processing, and hundreds of plants which had been processed and the picked stalks laying on the ground. A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agent calculated that there were 881 plants in the ground and 1,103 plants that had been cut and were drying.

A water system ran throughout the grow operation. Black plastic tubing was observed on the ground. Large plastic containers were located to store water and supply the grow operation by utilizing the black plastic tubing running to each field. An area of the grow operation contained a large amount of fertilizer, bedding supplies, pruning devices and chemicals used in the growing and cultivation of marijuana. Two tents were located in the middle of the operation, which appeared to be the location where people would sleep and cook. There was a fire pit and sleeping bags in this area.

Under federal statutes, Vasquez-Duarte and Reyes are each subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five 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. 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Refuge Law Enforcement Division, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the East Central Drug Task Force, the Howard County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Glasgow, Mo., Police Department, the Fayette, Mo., Police Department and the New Franklin, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner of a scrap metal business in Kansas City, Mo., that primarily operated on a cash basis pleaded guilty in federal court today to tax evasion.

Joseph Lee Scott Deardorff, 31, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to the charge contained in a Sept. 20, 2016, federal indictment.

Deardorff owns and operates Total Recovery and Recycling, LLC, which is in the business of buying and selling scrap metal and scrap vehicles. By pleading guilty today, Deardorff admitted that he took a series of steps to willfully and intentionally evade payment of $355,310 in federal income taxes and to hide assets from the IRS.

Deardorff specifically pleaded guilty to attempting to evade paying a large part of the federal income tax owed for 2011. According to today’s plea agreement, Deardorff earned $194,067 in taxable income in 2011 and owed $65,067 in federal income tax that year. The total tax loss, including relevant conduct during tax years 2007 through 2012, is $355,310.

Deardorff admitted that he concealed and attempted to conceal from the IRS the nature and extent of his assets. For example, Deardorff cashed (rather than depositing) approximately $731,656 of the $736,070 checks he received from the sale of scrap vehicles and scrap metal in 2011. Deardorff cashed those checks at multiple different gas stations and check cashers throughout the metro area of Kansas City, Mo. He then used that cash to purchase additional scrap vehicles and scrap metal in an effort to hide the money he received from the sale of vehicles and metal from the IRS.

Deardorff also used cash from the sale of scrap vehicles and scrap metal to purchase multiple properties for business and investment purposes, multiple Corvettes for investment purposes, and high-end GPS units, speakers, CD players and DVD players for his tow trucks.

Deardorff, who paid all of his employees in cash, also admitted that he failed to file Forms W2 for any of his employees for calendar year 2011.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Colorado Springs, Colo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a tax fraud scheme.

Kalena Latoya Winston, 41, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to five years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Winston to pay $254,893 in restitution to the IRS. Winston has remained in federal custody since her arrest in Colorado in February 2016.

Winston, who pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2016, operated a return preparation scheme for tax years 2011 and 2012. Winston solicited clients who lived in Colorado, Kansas and Tennessee, and prepared and submitted the returns electronically. Most of the false returns were filed with the IRS service center in Kansas City, Mo.

Winston’s main practice was to include false Schedule C businesses on her clients’ returns in order to increase the amount of the refunds by qualifying them for, or maximizing, the Earned Income Tax Credit. Winston also occasionally claimed false dependents on the tax returns. On two occasions, Winston used the personal identifying information the client provided her for the 2010 tax year in order to file a return without that client’s knowledge or permission for the following tax year.

Winston received debit cards containing the tax refunds from the false returns. Instead of listing her clients’ address on the returns, Winston listed the addresses of her co-conspirators so that she could maintain control over the refunds.

Co-defendant Pete Scott, 38, of Spring Hill, Fla., pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on Nov. 17, 2016, and awaits sentencing. Scott admitted that he distributed the refund debit cards to the taxpayers after money had already been withdrawn from the cards.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that three Kansas City, Mo., tax preparers have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a tax fraud conspiracy.

Azareia Derseh, 36, his brother, Ananeia Derseh, 39, and Quashanda King, 36, all of Kansas City, were charged in a 23-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, March 7, 2017. That indictment was unsealed and made public following King’s arrest and initial court appearance on Thursday, March 9, 2017.

The federal indictment alleges that Azareia Derseh, Ananeia Derseh and King participated in a conspiracy to prepare fraudulent tax returns from Jan. 30, 2013, to March 5, 2015. Azareia Derseh owned and operated a tax preparation business in the Kansas City metropolitan area, under the names Instant Tax Service and Speedy Tax Service, at various locations. Ananiea was the manager in charge of one of the offices and King was the manager in charge of another office.

According to the indictment, conspirators prepared at least 47 false federal income tax returns, which contained materially false and fraudulent items, for at least 37 clients for tax years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The tax loss based upon the conduct in the conspiracy was $108,621.

Conspirators most often inserted a false Schedule C, the indictment says, wherein the client reported to carry out a business at a modest profit. Often, the return preparers allegedly inflated the gross receipts reported on the Schedule C. Sometimes, the indictment says, the return preparers completely fabricated a Schedule C, reporting income from a fictitious business. The return preparers allegedly added false income to clients’ returns in order to maximize the refundable credits and fraudulently increase clients’ refunds. By including these and other fraudulent items on their client’s tax returns, conspirators allegedly manufactured substantial refunds that the clients would not have been entitled to if the returns had been accurately prepared.

In addition to the conspiracy, the indictment charges Ananeia Derseh with 11 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false and fraudulent tax returns. Azareia Derseh is also charged with four counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false and fraudulent tax returns. King is also charged with seven counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false and fraudulent tax returns.

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

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that three Kansas City, Mo., men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.

Eric L. Harris, also known as “E,” 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips today to 13 years in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Joshua R. Fuertes, 35, was sentenced on March 2, 2017, to 17 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Co-defendant Ian C. Ransdell, 25, was sentenced on March 2, 2017, to 13 years in federal prison without parole.

The court also ordered Harris, Fuertes and Ransdell to forfeit to the government a money judgment of $840,000, which represents the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking, for which they are jointly and severally liable. Harris was ordered to forfeit to the government his residential property, which was derived from the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.

Harris, Fuertes and Ransdell each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine from February 2012 to September 2014, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Harris also pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Harris admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that conspirators distributed approximately two kilograms of heroin and approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Fuertes supplied Harris with heroin and methamphetamine; Ransdell supplied Harris with heroin. Harris also supplied Ransdell and others with heroin and methamphetamine. An undercover detective purchased heroin from Harris and methamphetamine from Fuertes on multiple occasions.

On Aug. 13, 2014, a Kansas City police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle Harris was driving. Harris fled from the officer and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. Harris was eventually taken into custody after a foot chase. A search of Harris’s vehicle and the path in which Harris fled led to the recovery of a plastic baggie containing approximately 60 grams of methamphetamine, a plastic baggie containing approximately 28 grams of heroin and a small amount of marijuana. A .40-caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol was later recovered from an area in which Harris threw it during the chase.

When officers executed a search warrant at Harris’s residence, they found 85.7 grams of methamphetamine, 9.9 grams of heroin, a small amount of cocaine, over 300 grams of marijuana, $42,560, three rifles, a shotgun, three handguns, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

When officers executed a search warrant at Ransdell’s residence, they found 112.9 grams of heroin, 2.54 grams of methamphetamine, 18 handguns, a shotgun, six rifles, approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition (including a 100-round drum rifle magazine loaded with 91 rounds of ammunition), numerous firearms parts, two bullet-proof vests, drug paraphernalia and a gold Cass County Sheriff’s badge. Ransdell also had a storage locker, where officers found a small amount of heroin, drug paraphernalia, two loaded AR-15 magazines and $20,814.

When officers executed a search warrant at Fuertes’s residence, he attempted to flee from the officers by jumping on the second floor roof, only to encounter more officers at the rear of the residence. Investigators found two pistols, a shotgun, ammunition and drug paraphernalia at Fuertes’s residence.

Harris, Fuertes and Ransdell are among 12 defendants who have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in this case. The final defendant, William H. Shannon, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Mo., residents pleaded guilty in federal court today to their roles in a marriage fraud conspiracy.

Delmar Dixon, 49, and Shakeisha Harrison, 37, both of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charges contained in an Aug. 31, 2016, federal indictment.

Dixon and Harrison each admitted that they participated in a conspiracy to assist African nationals in circumventing immigration laws by arranging fraudulent marriages. In addition to the conspiracy, Dixon pleaded guilty to falsely swearing in an immigration matter.

Co-defendant Traci R. Porter, 44, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty on Jan. 19, 2017, to her role in the marriage fraud conspiracy.

By pleading guilty today, Dixon admitted that he arranged 30 to 40 fraudulent marriages, including his own. Dixon charged the African nationals $1,000 upfront for his services, which included providing them U.S. citizen spouses. The African nationals were additionally required to pay $500 to the spouse at the time of the wedding, and an additional $500 immediately after completion of the wedding. They were required to pay their spouses $250 each month after the weddings until the immigration process was complete. The African nationals were coached by Dixon on how to make their marriages appear legitimate.

In addition to arranging fraudulent marriages, Dixon engaged in a fraudulent marriage himself. Dixon obtained a marriage license on March 19, 2008, and married a Kenyan national who had entered the United States as a B2 nonimmigrant visitor but overstayed her visa.

Harrison admitted that she entered into a fraudulent marriage arranged by Dixon. Her spouse, a Tanzanian national, entered the United States as an F1 nonimmigrant student to attend Park University. The two were married on Feb. 12, 2010, and Harrison filed for permanent resident status for her spouse on Aug. 12, 2014.

Porter admitted that she was involved in the marriage fraud scheme through her own marriage and her involvement in other fraudulent marriages. In June 2008, Porter married a Kenyan national who had entered the United States as a B2 visitor. He was granted conditional lawful permanent resident status; Porter also filed petitions for an alien relative for her step-daughter and step-son. However, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi denied the children immigrant visas because Porter and her spouse failed to establish they had a bona fide ongoing marriage, and there was a suspicion (later confirmed) that he was not legally divorced from a prior marriage. To remedy this, Porter filed for divorce and her spouse divorced his wife in Kenya, then they remarried and he was granted permanent resident status.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents utilized a confidential informant and an undercover agent in their investigation. The CI successfully arranged a meeting with Dixon, paid the required fees, and married the spouse provided to him by Dixon in a pretend ceremony staged by HSI. (Because the marriage was staged by HSI, it is not legally valid.) The confidential informant continued to pay the $250 monthly fee for the fraudulent purported marriage. In late December 2015, HSI initiated the operation involving the undercover agent. The agent met with Dixon (who introduced the agent to his intended spouse) and made a payment to Dixon. Dixon also offered the undercover agent $300 for each new client he referred.

Under federal statutes, Dixon is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Harrison and Porter 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 Kim Moore. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Kansas City, Mo., men were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a large-scale drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Frenklyn Piggie, 39, and Olufemi Siffre, 39, both of Kansas City, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner. Piggie was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Siffre was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

Piggie and Siffre have each pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine. Piggie also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

According to court documents, Piggie was the leader of an extensive network of cocaine and crack cocaine dealers. Siffre purchased cocaine from Piggie and other suppliers. Piggie and Siffre sold cocaine and crack cocaine to numerous street-level drug dealers.

Investigators learned that Piggie would be receiving a large shipment of cocaine and that Siffre was to purchase a portion of this shipment. Search warrants were executed at Piggie’s residence and at Siffre’s drug houses on Jan. 5, 2014.

Piggie was armed with an FNH semi-automatic pistol with an extended, 30-round magazine when officers entered his residence. Piggie and his supplier, co-defendant Jesus M. Frye-Santoyo, 31, of Kansas City, Kan., were found hiding in the garage and were both arrested.

Investigators recovered six kilograms of cocaine and approximately $185,000 in drug-trafficking proceeds from Piggie’s residence. Investigators also recovered four other firearms during the search of the residence, including a loaded AK-47 assault rifle beneath a sofa in the living room, a loaded Desert Eagle 9mm pistol under a sofa cushion in the living room, a Ruger 9mm pistol with an extended magazine in a backpack under the kitchen table and a loaded FNH pistol on the floor in a bedroom.

Investigators also recovered evidence of crack cocaine trafficking from Siffre’s houses, including drug paraphernalia, three bags containing a total of 20 grams of cocaine, and a bag containing a small amount of crack cocaine. Investigators also found a .44-caliber revolver in a hidden compartment in a bedroom closet.

Piggie’s criminal record details a lengthy criminal history that is characterized by drug distribution and the possession and use of firearms, including two prior convictions in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm. A months-long investigation of Piggie and his co-conspirators included numerous controlled purchases and the use of wiretaps.

Frye-Santoyo was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the conspiracy.

Piggie, Siffre and Frye-Santoyo are among 18 co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case. Co-defendant James Caldwell, 39, of Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and awaits sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brent Venneman and Jeff Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an employee who worked under a contract with the U.S. Postal Service was indicted by a federal grand jury today for stealing mail.

Kristen L. McIntyre, 37, of Trenton, Mo., was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

According to today’s indictment, McIntyre was an employee for a trucking company under contract with the U.S. Postal Service. McIntyre worked as a highway contract route driver to transport mail to and from post offices in Trenton, Spickard, Princeton and Mercer, Mo., to the Chillicothe, Mo., post office.

McIntyre allegedly stole mail – including money and gift cards – between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2016.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes, IV. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm.

Keith R. Hardin, 58, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays on Monday, March 6, 2017, to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Hardin was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

On Nov. 2, 2016, Hardin was convicted at trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Hardin was in possession of a Cobra .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun on Jan. 15, 2016. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Hardin has multiple prior felony convictions, including for armed criminal action, stealing a motor vehicle, sodomy, robbery and burglary.

Hardin was stopped by Kansas City police officers at approximately 3:22 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2016, when officers saw him walking in the street near 35th Street and S. Benton Avenue. Officers arrested Hardin on outstanding warrants. While searching him during the arrest, they found a loaded Cobra .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun on his left hip.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for robbing Arvest Bank, after which he had his hair and beard shaved off at a nearby barber shop.

Joshua A. Hoover, 33, of Kansas City, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint against Hoover that was filed on Feb.23, 2017.

The federal indictment alleges that Hoover stole $5,800 from Arvest Bank, 8959 E. 40 Hwy., Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 22, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Hoover approached a teller at the bank and twice demanded, “Give me $5,800 or I’ll shoot you in the face.” Hoover allegedly instructed her to place the money in an envelope, then fled from the bank on foot.

Hoover then ran to Stadium Cuts, 3300 S. Blue Ridge Cut Off, Independence, Mo., the affidavit says. A barber told police that Hoover was out of breath when he came into the business; Hoover told the barber he just ran from work and wanted to get a haircut during his lunch hour. Hoover had most of his hair and his beard cut off, the affidavit says, then bought a hat for $20 and changed clothes in the business’s bathroom. According to the affidavit, Hoover later told investigators that he stopped an unknown person in the area of the barber shop and requested a ride to an area near his house; Hoover said he grabbed an unknown number of $100 bills from the proceeds of the bank robbery and gave them to the driver.

The FBI disseminated surveillance photographs of the bank robbery to local media outlets, the affidavit says, and almost immediately began receiving tips from both the public and law enforcement that identified the bank robber as Hoover. Hoover was located at Ameristar Casino, where he was preparing to attend a poker tournament, and he was arrested. Hoover had in his possession $2,115, $2,000 in poker chips, a $1,000 gaming voucher and a preferred member players card. Hoover allegedly told police officers he was afraid the serial numbers on the bills could be tracked and decided to exchange, or launder, the money at the casino to receive clean bills that were not directly related to the bank robbery.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Filipino woman who fled from Japan to the Philippines before being arrested in Overland Park, Kan., was charged in federal court today with stealing the equivalent of nearly $100,000 at a Naval base in Japan.

Cynthia Lopez Creseni was charged with theft of public money in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Creseni remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday, March 9, 2017.

The federal criminal complaint alleges that Creseni stole the equivalent of $99,068 from Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) was notified about the theft of approximately $85,500 and ¥ 1,620,000 (aggregate value of $99,068) from a safe assigned to Creseni at the MWR cash cage. Creseni, who has worked at the base in various positions since 2000, served as the lead cashier of the game/slot room at the time of the theft.

Creseni officially reported the funds missing from her assigned safe after returning from a vacation to the United States in February 2015. Creseni, who denied taking the money, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Interviews of Creseni’s co-workers revealed that she might have had some financial problems, the affidavit says. When investigators attempted to interview Creseni at her residence in Japan, they learned that she had vacated her home, sold it and moved to the Philippines. Efforts were made to locate Creseni in the Philippines, but were unsuccessful. Agents learned that Creseni entered the United States on July 15, 2015.

On Jan. 24, 2017, Creseni was located in Overland Park, Kan., and arrested by federal agents for immigration violations for overstaying her visa.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Moore. It was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Independence, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for using a telephone in the commission of a murder-for-hire scheme.

Teresa Owen, 63, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to four years in federal prison without parole. Owen has been in federal custody without bail since her arrest on June 18, 2015.

Owen, who pleaded guilty on Sept. 23, 2016, admitted that she had contact with two separate individuals via telephone and offered them money to kill a person identified in court documents as “B.H.” Owen spoke with an acquaintance and later with an undercover police officer to discuss (or arrange to meet to discuss) the murder of B.H.

Owen also admitted that she met with an undercover officer in Independence on June 10 and 11, 2015. During the meetings, Owen asked the undercover officer to kill B.H. and agreed to pay the undercover officer $700 for the murder of B.H. Owen used her phone to access Facebook photos of B.H. in order to identify B.H. to the undercover officer. She also provided written identification and location information for B.H., and made a payment of $200 to the undercover officer on June 11, 2015.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in an international, multi-million-dollar software piracy scheme.

David Reece, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with conspiracy.

Investigators have seized more than $20 million in assets from conspirators in 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. Reece admitted today that he received approximately $2.5 million worth of illicit software key cards.

By pleading guilty today, Reece admitted that he conspired with others – including Casey Lee Ross, 30, of Kansas City, Mo., and another individual in the People’s Republic of China – to smuggle illegal merchandise into the United States and distribute it to others. Reece bought and sold illicit and/or unauthorized Microsoft Office product key cards. (Product key cards contain codes that are used to obtain full access to licensed versions of copyrighted Microsoft software programs, in this case, purportedly for Lenovo computers.)

Reece purchased large volumes of Microsoft Office product key cards from Ross and the Chinese co-conspirator. Reece then resold them to other illicit software suppliers and customers. Among Reece’s customers are two co-conspirators identified in court documents as “Individual I” and “Individual J,” who were operating in Texas.

Reece admitted that, between Sept. 21, 2013, and March 14, 2015, he received approximately 20 physical shipments of contraband, 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.

Reece is the eighth defendant charged in the software piracy scheme and the seventh defendant to plead guilty.

The investigation began when federal agents in Kansas City, Mo., learned in 2013 that Ross, the owner of Software Slashers, 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 has pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to five years of probation.

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

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm that he stole from a vehicle in the parking lot of the Liberty Community Center in Liberty, Mo.

Jeffrey L. Ducksworth, 36, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, to six years in federal prison without parole.

Ducksworth pleaded guilty on Sept. 19, 2016, to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, Ducksworth stole a Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from a car parked at the Liberty Community Center on June 30, 2015.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. At the time of the theft, Ducksworth was on felony supervision through the state of Mississippi for burglary of an auto and fraudulent use of a credit card. Subsequent to this federal offense, Duckworth was convicted in state court of receiving stolen property in Clay County, Mo., and of stealing a credit card in Platte County, Mo.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph W. Vanover. It was investigated by the Liberty, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Phoenix, Ariz., man and woman have been charged in federal court after five kilograms of cocaine were found in their truck during a highway interdiction.

Luis J. Duarte, 58, and Adriana Gutierrez-Ramirez, also known as Adriana Peralta, 42, both of Phoenix, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, with possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. Duarte and Gutierrez-Ramirez, who had an initial court appearance yesterday, remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped a 2016 Ford F350 cargo utility Budget rental truck traveling eastbound on I-44 in Greene County, Mo., on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. The truck, being driven by Duarte with Gutierrez-Ramirez as passenger, allegedly weaved onto the shoulder three times.

During the traffic stop, the affidavit says, the trooper noted discrepancies in statements made by Duarte and Gutierrez-Ramirez, and both seemed extremely nervous. The trooper searched the vehicle and discovered a kilogram-sized package of cocaine. Four additional kilogram-sized packages of cocaine were discovered during a later search of the vehicle. The packages were located inside a cardboard box containing clothing towards the front of the cargo area of the truck.

Duarte and Gutierrez-Ramirez told law enforcement officers that they were being paid to drive the truck from Phoenix to Ohio.

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

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Lebanon, Mo., man has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of firearms following a nine-hour-long standoff with law enforcement officers while he was in the attic space of a friend’s residence.

Jesse D. Ivey, 40, of Lebanon, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, to eight years in federal prison without parole.

On June 27, 2016, Ivey pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. Ivey admitted he was in possession of a Charter Arms .38-caliber revolver, a high Standard .2-caliber pistol, a Ruger .357-caliber revolver and a Savage .30-06 rifle.

Ivey was involved in a high-speed pursuit by law enforcement officers on Jan. 5, 2016. When officers observed Ivey driving at speeds far in excess of the speed limit and attempted a traffic stop, he refused to yield and led officers on a high-speed pursuit. The pursuit ended with Ivey’s vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler, crashing into a wooded area in Laclede County, Mo. Ivey fled the scene of the crash before troopers arrived. During a search of the vehicle, troopers found the four loaded firearms, one of which had been reported stolen, and some tools that had been reported stolen.

Ivey was arrested on Feb. 10, 2016, after an approximately nine-hour-long standoff with law enforcement officers. Officers entered a residence in Lebanon while searching for Ivey and found a loaded Bushmaster AR-15 .223-caliber rifle lying on the floor of the second-floor master bedroom. (Ivey later admitted that he purchased the rifle to sell to a drug dealer in Kansas City.) They heard Ivey in the attic space above the bedroom and directed him to come out of the attic space, but he refused to surrender.

Due to the limited access to the attic and being unaware of whether Ivey was armed, officers withdrew from the residence and called the Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT Team to assist. A nine-hour standoff proceeded before Ivey finally exited the attic and surrendered.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ivey has two prior felony convictions for assault, arising from an incident in which he discharged a firearm at two individuals in 2013. In that case, law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Ivey but he fled his residence, stealing a neighbor’s truck, leading officers on a high speed chase that nearly resulted in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Ivey committed this federal offense while on probation from that case.

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

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

Michael Greinke, 29, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to eight years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Greinke to pay $5,000 in restitution to one of his victims.

On May 16, 2016, Greinke pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography over the Internet between Jan. 1, 2014, and April 6, 2015.

On April 6, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Greinke’s residence after his computer was identified by investigators in Canada as having uploaded child pornography to an online social media platform. Officers seized a desktop computer, a laptop computer, two hard drives, three SD cards and a cell phone that were used to commit the offense.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and the York Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada.

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. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an El Dorado Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Daniel A. Crawford, 37, of El Dorado Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 19 years in federal prison without parole.

On Sept. 8, 2016, Crawford pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Crawford was arrested on Jan. 22, 2015, when Vernon County, Mo., sheriff’s deputies were called to a burglary in progress. The victim (and caller) had blocked Crawford and another person in the driveway. Crawford was sitting in the driver’s seat of the blocked-in Chevrolet truck when deputies arrived. Crawford had a piece of glass in his pocket that field tested positive for methamphetamine.

Deputies searched the truck and found 11 grams of methamphetamine in a Mountain Dew bottle with a false compartment, scales, baggies, a Mountain Arms .22-caliber rifle, ammunition and stolen property.

Crawford admitted that he and co-defendant Marklee Eugene Bogart, 36, of Nevada, Mo., had an agreement to deal methamphetamine with and for one another. When law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bogart’s residence on Aug. 20, 2014, they found 176 grams of pure methamphetamine, 22 firearms, a grenade and $9,400, which was determined to be the proceeds of drug trafficking. Later in August, after listening to his jail phone calls, law enforcement seized another $41,380 from Bogart.

Bogart was sentenced on Jan. 19, 2017, to five years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine M. Larison. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Bates County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking a minor.

Kenneth Ronald Jones, 25, of Columbia, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. Jones was arrested today at the Boone County Courthouse (where he appeared on an unrelated matter). Jones, who remains in federal custody, will have his initial appearance in federal court at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017.

According to an affidavit that was filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, FBI agents learned on June 29, 2016, that a 17-year-old runaway from Wisconsin – identified in court documents as “L.V.” – was being held against her will and forced into prostitution by Jones. She was located at a residence in Columbia and removed by law enforcement agents.

L.V. told investigators that she met Jones in May 2016 at a party in Milwaukee, Wis., and agreed to travel with him to Columbia to engage in prostitution. Within a few minutes of arriving at a Columbia residence that was used as a brothel, the affidavit says, a man arrived soliciting prostitution. This man selected L.V. from the approximately five prostitutes present, and paid to have sex with her. L.V. subsequently engaged in prostitution almost every day, averaging two or three clients per day.

Although Jones knew that L.V. was 17 years old, the affidavit says, he told everyone else at the brothel that L.V was 18 years old so she would be allowed to work there. L.V. reported that escort advertisements were purchased on Backpage, a classified advertising website frequently utilized by prostitutes.

Jones became increasingly verbally abusive and cruel, the affidavit says, and pressured L.V. to see more clients. L.V. said she wanted to stop prostituting herself after two weeks and told Jones on multiple occasions she did not want to prostitute anymore because it was sad and degrading. Jones did not care, the affidavit says, and instructed L.V. to keep making money. She feared repercussions from Jones if she attempted to leave him.

L.V. told investigators that Jones had left for Milwaukee the day before law enforcement took her from the Columbia residence. Before he left, the affidavit says, Jones instructed L.V. to send the money she earned prostituting herself to him while he was in Milwaukee. L.V. told investigators that she had planned to flee from the residence the following day. Jones was arrested when he returned from Milwaukee for a Boone County court appearance today on an unrelated matter.

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

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for his role in making preparations to launch a terrorist attack with persons he believed were members of ISIS, but who were actually undercover law enforcement agents.

Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr., 25, of Columbia, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was signed on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017, and contains an additional charge of attempting to provide material support or resources to terrorists.

Hester, who was the sole subject of this undercover investigation, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Hester is a U.S. citizen who was born in Missouri. He was enlisted in the U.S. Army for less than a year, receiving a general discharge from service in mid-2013.

Count One of the federal indictment alleges that, from October 2016 to Feb. 17, 2017, Hester attempted to provide material support or resources to be used in preparation for, and in carrying out, the use of weapons of mass destruction.

Count Two of the federal indictment alleges that, from October 2016 to Feb. 17, 2017, Hester attempted to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, knowing that ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) was a designated foreign terrorist organization that engages in terrorist activity.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, FBI agents undertook a review of Hester’s publicly available posts on multiple social media accounts in September 2016. FBI employees using undercover identities communicated with Hester via social media, texting and personal meetings on several occasions. When Hester arrived for a meeting with an undercover FBI employee on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, he was arrested.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Casey and David Raskin and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. It was investigated by the FBI.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was charged in federal court today with child sexual exploitation.

Sergio Antonio Dominguez-Gonzalez, 23, of Columbia, was charged with the sexual exploitation of a minor in a federal criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo. Dominguez-Gonzalez, who remains in federal custody, will have an initial court appearance on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an undercover law enforcement officer posted numerous on-line bulletin messages on social media forums, which were intended to attract individuals with a sexual interest in children. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, the undercover officer received an e-mail message from Dominguez-Gonzalez.

During the course of their e-mail conversation and subsequent instant messenger chat, the affidavit says, Dominguez-Gonzalez sent the undercover officer images and videos of a prepubescent toddler, including pornographic images and videos. Dominguez-Gonzalez allegedly asked the undercover officer to send him nude pictures of his purported 9-year-old daughter.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Dominguez-Gonzalez’s residence on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. Among the items seized were five cell phones, a desktop computer and a digital camera with an SD card.

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

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

Project Safe Childhood

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

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Clark, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Randolph and Boone Counties, Mo.

Miguel Flores-Ramirez, 33, of Clark, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On June 21, 2016, Flores-Ramirez pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from May 19 to May 23, 2014.

Law enforcement officers intercepted phone calls between Flores-Ramirez and another individual that indicated a shipment of methamphetamine was to be delivered to him in Columbia, Mo. He arranged for his wife and co-defendant, Kena Marie Flores-Ramirez, 28, and co-defendant Nina Marie Mabrey, 38, of Clark, to pick up a vehicle in which the methamphetamine was hidden and drive the vehicle back to their residence in Clark.

Officers saw Kena Flores-Ramirez leave their residence at 5:21 a.m. on May 23, 2014. She and Mabrey drove to a parking lot on Vandiver Drive in Columbia, where they met a car carrier. Mabrey drove out of the parking lot in a maroon 1999 Toyota Tacoma (with no registration) that had been on the car carrier.

Law enforcement officers made contact with the driver of the car carrier, who stated that he worked for a logistics company from Maryland. He showed the agent a bill of lading for a 1999 Toyota Tacoma that he had just delivered. He stated that he had obtained the vehicle on May 21, 2014, in Denver, Colo., and that it was the last vehicle he picked up before driving to Columbia. He stated that he just delivered the vehicle and was paid a $600 transport fee.

Officers conducted traffic stops of both Kena Flores-Ramirez and Mabry. A narcotics dog alerted to the area of the rear bumper and the passenger side rear wheel well on the exterior of the Toyota Tacoma. They were released, but officers kept the Toyota Tacoma in order to conduct a more thorough search. After they left, officers intercepted a phone call in which Kena Flores-Ramirez called her husband and told him they had been stopped, the truck had been taken, and to clean out the house and dispose of everything. Later that day, officers intercepted a phone call from Miguel Flores-Ramirez to another individual in which he said “they will find something” (the methamphetamine) “if they tear it (the Tacoma) apart.”

Officers searched the Toyota Tacoma and found six large vacuum-sealed bags and four smaller bags of methamphetamine hidden in the gas tank. The large bags weighed approximately one pound each, and the smaller bags approximately a half-pound each, for a total of 3.492 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

Kena Flores-Ramirez has also pleaded guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and awaits sentencing. Mabrey pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 26, 2017, to three years of probation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man who carried a pistol into Truman Medical Center was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.

 

Charles Eugene Glasgow, Jr., 42, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to five years and four months in federal prison without parole.

 

On Nov. 14, 2016, Glasgow pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

 

Glasgow was in possession of a Soc.it.F.lli 6.35mm pistol when he walked into Truman Medical Center on Jan. 4, 2016. Glasgow said he wanted to visit a person at the hospital, but when told there was no one by that name in the hospital, began to change the last names of the person he wanted to visit.  Glasgow was told he would not be granted access to the hospital floors and was instructed to leave.

 

Glasgow became belligerent and refused to leave the property. Security officers attempted to take him into custody for trespassing. As several officers attempted to restrain Glasgow to arrest him, Glasgow refused to take his hand out of his pocket and ignored repeated orders to show his hands. One of the security officers was able to see part of a gun and at that time three other security officers jumped on Glasgow and took him to the ground, where they were able to remove the gun from his pocket and place him in handcuffs.

 

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Glasgow has a 2002 federal felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison without parole. According to court documents, Glasgow also has a prior felony conviction for robbery, prior to his first federal firearm conviction, as well as felony convictions for terrorist threats and assault since his release from federal prison. Glasgow’s prior criminal history spans 25 years and includes 30 adult municipal, misdemeanor and felony convictions for an assortment of offenses in 10 different city, state and federal jurisdictions in four different states.

 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing and distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Ernest W. Haney, 51, of Joplin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 20, 2016, Haney pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography. Haney used peer-to-peer file-sharing software on his computer to download and to share images and videos of child pornography over the Internet.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by 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. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former Kansas City, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for engaging in a fraud scheme in which she stole $440,000 in lottery winnings from her victim as part of a scheme that resulted in a total loss of more than $640,000.

Freya Pearson, 44, of Conyers, Ga., formerly of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to five years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Pearson to pay $640,667 in restitution to her victims.

On Oct. 27, 2016, Pearson was found guilty at trial of three counts of wire fraud, four counts of money laundering, one count of tax evasion and one count of making false statements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (related to her application for federal housing benefits).

According to evidence presented during the trial, Pearson convinced her 61-year-old victim to transfer $480,000 into the bank account of an organization called Recidivism at Work (RAW), a nonprofit entity Pearson established, which was opened the day before her victim made the first wire transfer. This victim, who had been working as a housekeeper at Research Hospital before going on disability and who lived in public housing, won $2.4 million in the Missouri Lottery in 2008. After setting money aside for taxes then purchasing a home for herself, a home for a daughter and a car for another daughter, she established an annuity to provide approximately $30,000 per year for the rest of her life. As a result of Pearson’s fraud scheme, however, she is now financially insolvent and had to take a reverse mortgage in order to keep her home.

Pearson convinced her victim she was a friend and falsely represented herself as a financial advisor. Pearson instructed the victim to withdraw her lottery winnings from the annuity account. The victim made three wire transfers in April, May and June 2010 to deposit the funds into Pearson’s RAW checking account. Whether the money was an investment or a business loan, Pearson materially omitted to disclose to the victim that she would use the money to gamble and for her own personal expenses. A partial summary of Pearson’s gambling expenses, which began the day after the first wire transfer, was over $96,000. Pearson also spent $12,000 on travel, purchased three vehicles (a Cadillac Escalade, a Pontiac Sunfire and a Chevrolet Tahoe) and spent money on restaurants, shopping and other personal expenses while she lived in the St. Louis, Mo., metropolitan area. Pearson made payments to her victim of approximately $1,200 per month for a little over a year before she quit paying her altogether – a total of approximately $38,000. No identifiable money was used for the nonprofit entity, and little for any business purpose.

When she met the victim in 2010, Pearson was unemployed and her only income came from child support and Social Security benefits for one of her children. While she was receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from her victim’s lottery winnings, Pearson applied for and received federally subsidized housing benefits under the Section 8 program meant to assist low income residents. In March 2010, Pearson applied with the Weston Housing Authority (in Platte County, Mo.) for Section 8 benefits – claiming that she was unemployed and homeless. Based on these representations, the Weston Housing Authority arranged for the rental of a duplex in Kansas City-North, with housing authority paying $875 per month and Pearson paying $200 per month. Although Pearson didn’t actually live in the Kansas City residence, she continued to receive federal benefits after moving to Orange County, Calif., in March 2012, until she was terminated from program for fraud in 2014. Pearson received a total of $76,837 in federal housing benefits over four years. In 2011, Pearson also began receiving welfare and/or food stamp benefits.

Pearson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2, 2010, but did not disclose the RAW bank accounts, which had total balances of $56,506. Pearson received a discharge of her debts (totaling more than $90,000) on March 15, 2011.

Pearson filed no tax return for tax year 2010, and thus did not pay income taxes of $122,000 that would have been due on the $441,830 of taxable income Pearson received as a result of defrauding her victim.

Pearson defrauded the victim of a total of $441,830. Pearson evaded $122,000 in federal income tax. Pearson defrauded the Weston Housing Authority of $76,837 in housing benefits. Pearson thus caused a total loss of at least $640,667.

According to court documents, while on bond awaiting trial in this case, Pearson also made false statements on a credit application at a Conyers, Ga., car dealership in order to purchase a vehicle. Pearson listed a false address and false employment and income on her credit application.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen D. Mahoney and Jane Pansing Brown. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.

Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr., 25, of Columbia, Missouri, was charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Hester was charged in federal court based on his role in making preparations to launch a terrorist attack with persons he believed were associated with ISIS, who were actually undercover law enforcement personnel.

The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson for the Western District of Missouri and Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office.

“As alleged in the complaint, Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr. attempted to provide material support to ISIS by participating in what he believed would be a deadly attack committed in the name of the foreign terrorist organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Countering terrorist threats remains the highest priority of the National Security Division, and we will continue our efforts to identify and hold accountable those who seek to commit acts of terrorism within our borders.”

“First on social media, then during face-to-face meetings with an undercover FBI employee, this defendant repeatedly expressed his intent to engage in acts of violent jihad against the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Dickson. “He believed he was part of an ISIS-sponsored terrorist attack that would result in the deaths and injuries of many innocent victims. He readily participated in the preparations for an attack, provided materials and resources for an attack and voiced his intent to carry out an attack. I commend the FBI for protecting the public from a security threat.”

“Terrorism knows no demographic boundaries and remains the FBI’s top priority,” said Special Agent in Charge Jackson. “The arrest of Hester is the culmination of an extensive FBI investigation and demonstrates the challenges law enforcement faces in identifying individuals intent on causing harm.”

Hester, who remains in federal custody, was arrested on February 17, when he arrived at an arranged meeting with an undercover law enforcement employee. The criminal complaint was signed on Sunday and made public today, when Hester made his initial court appearance.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, throughout the investigation, Hester expressed his interest in and exhibited his willingness to commit violence in support of ISIS – and he attempted to provide material support to ISIS by assisting in what he believed would be a murderous terrorist bombing and gunfire attack committed in the name of the foreign terrorist organization.

Hester is a U.S. citizen who was born in Missouri. He was enlisted in the U.S. Army for less than a year, receiving a general discharge from service in mid-2013.

FBI agents undertook a review of Hester’s publicly available posts on multiple social media accounts in September 2016. On Oct. 3, 2016, Hester was arrested by the Columbia Police Department in an unrelated case and remained in state custody until he was released on bond on Oct. 13, 2016. His bond conditions included electronic monitoring. While Hester was being monitored, FBI undercover employees maintained regular contact with him via an encrypted messaging app and text messages, and met with him on several occasions.

On January 24, Hester pleaded guilty in state court to property damage and unlawful use of a weapon and was released on his own recognizance. Hester was no longer on electronic monitoring after that date. FBI undercover personnel continued to meet in person with Hester and communicate with him electronically.

Hester agreed to meet again with an FBI undercover employee on February 17. When Hester arrived for that meeting, he was arrested. Hester was the sole subject of this undercover investigation.

Undercover Investigation

According to the affidavit, the investigation began when the FBI became aware (through multiple confidential sources) of Hester’s social media posts, in which he expressed animus towards the U.S. and suggested an adherence to radical Islamic ideology and a propensity for violence. Hester used several online aliases, including “Mohammed Junaid Al Amreeki,” “Junaid Muhammad,” “Rabbani Junaid Muhammad,” “Rami Talib” and “Ali Talib Muhammad.”

On Oct. 3, 2016, Hester was arrested by Columbia police officers after an incident in the parking lot of a grocery store. Hester, who appeared to be in an argument with his wife, threw a folded pocket knife through a plate-glass window near the entrance of the store. When store employees confronted Hester, he assumed an aggressive stance and forcefully placed his hand into the diaper bag he was carrying in a manner that appeared to be reaching for a weapon. Police officers later recovered a 9mm handgun from the diaper bag. Hester was in custody until Oct. 13, 2016, when he was released on bond and placed on electronic monitoring.

On Oct. 15, 2016, two days after Hester’s release on bond, an FBI employee using an undercover identity contacted Hester by private message. The FBI employee had accepted a friend request from Hester the day before Hester was arrested for the grocery store incident. They continued to communicate via social media, text and an encrypted messaging app, the affidavit says, during which Hester presented himself as a security threat, stating, for example, that the U.S. government should be “overthrown,” and suggesting “hitting” the government “hard,” while noting that it would not be “a one man job.” Hester identified categories of potential targets for attack and said he wanted a “global jihad.” Hester stated that he was trying to find like-minded people to help. When the undercover employee mentioned “brothers,” Hester said he wanted to meet them.

Hester then established that he would act on the statements he made online. In early November 2016, the affidavit says, Hester made arrangements with the undercover employee – whom he never met in person – to meet with “one of the brothers.” The undercover employee arranged this meeting with another undercover FBI employee.

During a January 31 meeting, the undercover employee provided Hester with a list of items to purchase, including 9-volt batteries, duct tape, copper wire and roofing nails. The undercover employee implied that these items would be used to make bombs, the affidavit says, stating that those materials are needed “to make … things … to bring some kind of destruction.” Hester allegedly responded by stating: “I’m just ready to help. I’m ready to help any way I can.” When the undercover employee stated that what they were planning was “going to bring them to their knees … and then they gonna know to fear Allah,” Hester expressed his anticipation by stating: “I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”

Hester and the undercover employee agreed to meet again at Hester’s residence the next day. When the undercover employee arrived, the affidavit says, Hester gave him the items he had purchased. The undercover employee told Hester they were planning something “10 times more” than the Boston Marathon bombing, and Hester expressed his approval. The undercover employee told Hester that they were planning on “killing a lot of people.” The undercover employee told Hester that he could “walk away,” the affidavit says, but Hester said, “I’m down.” The undercover employee told Hester they were going to “wage all kinda war,” and Hester again expressed his approval.

The undercover employee then pulled back blankets in the back of the SUV to show Hester three AK-47 style rifles and two .45-caliber handguns. The undercover employee told Hester that, while they had plenty of firearms, they needed more ammunition. Hester stated that he could not purchase ammunition because of his state charges, but that he had a friend that could get ammunition for him. Hester stated that he would have money to purchase ammunition after he received his tax refund and after he was paid in a couple of weeks.

The undercover employee also opened a backpack, which contained pieces of pipe with end caps attached in the manner of pipe bombs, along with cord-like safety fuse, stating, “these are bombs right here.” The undercover employee explained that the duct tape Hester provided would be used to tape the bombs together, which Hester acknowledged, and that the nails Hester provided would “cut peoples’ heads off.” Hester responded: “Oh yeah. I know,” indicating that he understood the nails were to be used as shrapnel for bombs.

The undercover employee stated that they had more backpacks that they were going to put in different locations. Hester acknowledged that he understood, and stated that they had to be smarter than the Boston Marathon bombers. Hester again confirmed that he was “down,” the affidavit says, and that he understood they had to “lay low” and act in a manner to avoid detection.

The undercover employee stated that they were going to “strike fear in all these infidel hearts,” and Hester responded that he agreed and that he was ready.

According to the affidavit, Hester contacted the first undercover employee via text message on February 2, and indicated he would “have some more stuff … in a couple of weeks when I get paid.” Hester asked the undercover employee, “When you talk to the brother again let him know I’ll have some more gifts in a couple of weeks.”

On February 4, 6, 7, 11 and 16 Hester communicated with an undercover employee via an encrypted messaging app. Hester said that he was excited, that he was “happy to be part” of it, and that it was “time they answer for their atrocities.” Hester predicted that it was “going to be a good day for Muslims worldwide.” Hester asked how the “party plan” was coming along and reiterated that he would get more “supplies.” The undercover employee told Hester that the “party” would take place on Presidents’ Day and that the targets of the operation would include busses, trains and a train station in Kansas City. Hester said, according to the affidavit, that it felt “good to help strike back at the true terrorist.”

On February 17, Hester met again with the second undercover employee and brought two additional boxes of  roofing nails. Hester accompanied the undercover employee to a nearby storage facility, where the two examined the security cameras. Hester was arrested shortly thereafter.

The charge contained in this complaint and the assertions in the supporting affidavit are simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Casey and David Raskin, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Hester Complaint

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, and Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been charged in federal court for his role in making preparations to launch a terrorist attack with persons he believed were members of ISIS, but who were actually undercover law enforcement agents.

 

Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr., 25, of Columbia, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Kansas City, Mo., with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Hester, who remains in federal custody, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, when he arrived at an arranged meeting with an undercover law enforcement agent. The criminal complaint was signed on Sunday and made public today following Hester’s initial court appearance.

 

“First on social media, then during face-to-face meetings with an undercover FBI employee, this defendant repeatedly expressed his intent to engage in acts of violent jihad against the United States,” Dickinson said. “He believed he was part of an ISIS-sponsored terrorist attack that would result in the deaths and injuries of many innocent victims. He readily participated in the preparations for an attack, provided materials and resources for an attack, and voiced his intent to carry out an attack. I commend the FBI for protecting the public from a security threat.”

 

 “Terrorism knows no demographic boundaries and remains the FBI’s top priority,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Field Office Eric Jackson. “The arrest of Hester is the culmination of an extensive FBI investigation and demonstrates the challenges law enforcement faces in identifying individuals intent on causing harm.”

 

“As alleged in the complaint, Robert Lorenzo Hester, Jr. attempted to provide material support to ISIS by participating in what he believed would be a deadly attack committed in the name of the foreign terrorist organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Countering terrorist threats remains the highest priority of the National Security Division, and we will continue our efforts to identify and hold accountable those who seek to commit acts of terrorism within our borders.”

 

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Hester demonstrated through his statements and actions that he posed a security threat by his willingness to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and his willingness to assist in what he believed would be a murderous terrorist bombing and gunfire attack.

 

Hester is a U.S. citizen who was born in Missouri.  He was enlisted in the U.S. Army for less than a year, receiving a general discharge from service in mid-2013.

 

FBI agents undertook a review of Hester’s publicly available posts on multiple social media accounts in September 2016. On Oct. 3, 2016, Hester was arrested by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department in an unrelated case and remained in state custody until he was released on bond on Oct. 13, 2016. His bond conditions included electronic monitoring. While Hester was being monitored, undercover federal agents maintained regular contact via an encrypted messaging app and text messages, and met with him on several occasions.

 

On Jan. 24, 2017, Hester pleaded guilty in state court to property damage and unlawful use of a weapon and was released on his own recognizance. Hester was no longer on electronic monitoring after that date. Undercover agents continued to meet in person with Hester and communicate via social media, texting and an encrypted message app.

 

Hester agreed to meet again with an undercover agent on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. When Hester arrived for that meeting, he was arrested.  Hester was the sole subject of this undercover investigation.

 

Undercover Investigation

 

According to the affidavit, the investigation began when the FBI became aware (through multiple confidential sources) of Hester’s social media posts, in which he expressed animus towards the United States and suggested an adherence to radical Islamic ideology and a propensity for violence. Hester used several online aliases, including “Mohammed Junaid Al Amreeki,” “Junaid Muhammad,” “Rabbani Junaid Muhammad,” “Rami Talib,” “Ali Talib Muhammad.”

 

On Oct. 3, 2016, Hester was arrested by Columbia police officers after an incident in the parking lot of a grocery store. Hester, who appeared to be in an argument with his wife, threw a folded pocket knife through a plate-glass window near the entrance of the store. When store employees confronted Hester, he assumed an aggressive stance and forcefully placed his hand into the diaper bag he was carrying in a manner that appeared to be reaching for a weapon. Police officers later recovered a 9mm handgun from the diaper bag. Hester was in custody until Oct. 13, 2016, when he was released on bond and placed on electronic monitoring.

 

On Oct. 15, 2016, two days after Hester’s release on bond, an FBI employee using an undercover identity contacted Hester by private message. The FBI employee had accepted a friend request from Hester the day before Hester was arrested for the grocery store incident.  They continued to communicate via social media, text and an encrypted messaging app, the affidavit says, during which Hester presented himself as a security threat, stating, for example, that the U.S. government should be “overthrown,” and suggesting “hitting” the government “hard,” while noting that it would not be “a one man job.” Hester identified categories of potential targets for attack and said he wanted a “global jihad.” Hester stated that he was trying to find like-minded people to help. When the undercover employee mentioned “brothers,” Hester said he wanted to meet them.

 

Hester then established that he would act on the statements he made online. In early November, the affidavit says, Hester made arrangements with the undercover employee – whom he never met in person – to meet with “one of the brothers.” The undercover employee arranged this meeting with another undercover FBI employee.

 

During a Jan. 31, 2017, meeting, the undercover employee provided Hester with a list of items to purchase, including 9-volt batteries, duct tape, copper wire, and roofing nails.  The undercover employee implied that these items would be used to make bombs, the affidavit says, stating that those materials are needed “to make … things … to bring some kind of destruction.” Hester allegedly responded by stating: “I’m just ready to help. I’m ready to help any way I can.” When the undercover employee stated that what they were planning was “going to bring them to their knees … and then they gonna know to fear Allah,” Hester expressed his anticipation by stating: “I can’t wait. I can’t wait.”

 

Hester and the undercover employee agreed to meet again at Hester’s residence the next day. When the undercover employee arrived, the affidavit says, Hester gave him the items he had purchased. The undercover employee told Hester they were planning something “10 times more” than the Boston Marathon bombing, and Hester expressed his approval. The undercover agent told Hester that they were planning on “killing a lot of people.” The undercover employee told Hester that he could “walk away,” the affidavit says, but Hester said, “I’m down.” The undercover employee told Hester they were going to “wage all kinda war,” and Hester again expressed his approval.

 

The undercover employee then pulled back blankets in the back of the SUV to show Hester three AK-47 style rifles and two .45-caliber handguns. The undercover agent told Hester that, while they had plenty of firearms, they needed more ammunition. Hester stated that he could not purchase ammunition because of his state charges, but that he had a friend that could get ammunition for him. Hester stated that he would have money to purchase ammunition after he received his tax refund and after he was paid in a couple of weeks.

 

The undercover employee also opened a backpack, which contained pipes and fuse, stating, “these are bombs right here.” The undercover employee explained that the duct tape Hester provided would be used to tape the bombs together, which Hester acknowledged, and that the nails Hester provided would “cut peoples’ heads off.” Hester responded: “Oh yeah. I know,” indicating that he understood the nails were to be used as shrapnel for bombs.

 

The undercover employee stated that they had more backpacks that they were going to put in different locations. Hester acknowledged that he understood, and stated that they had to be smarter than the Boston Marathon bombers. Hester again confirmed that he was “down,” the affidavit says, and that he understood they had to “lay low” and act in a manner to avoid detection.

 

The undercover employee stated that they were going to “strike fear in all these infidel hearts,” and Hester responded that he agreed and that he was ready.

 

According to the affidavit, Hester contacted the first undercover employee via text message on Feb. 2, 2017, and indicated he would “have some more stuff … in a couple of weeks when I get paid.” Hester asked the undercover employee, “When you talk to the brother again let him know I’ll have some more gifts in a couple of weeks.”

 

On Feb. 4, 6, 7, 11 and 16, 2017, Hester communicated with an undercover employee via an encrypted messaging app. Hester said that he was excited, that he was “happy to be part” of it, and that it was “time they answer for their atrocities.” Hester predicted that it was “going to be a good day for Muslims worldwide.”  Hester asked how the “party plan” was coming along and reiterated that he would get more “supplies.”  The undercover employee told Hester that the “party” would take place on Presidents’ Day and that the targets of the operation would include busses, trains and a train station in Kansas City, Mo.  Hester said, according to the affidavit, that it felt “good to help strike back at the true terrorist.”

 

On Feb. 17, 2017, Hester met again with the second undercover employee and provided more roofing nails.  Hester accompanied the undercover employee to a nearby storage facility, where the two examined the security cameras. Hester was arrested shortly thereafter.

 

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

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Casey and David Raskin and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. It was investigated by the FBI.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that the owner of a Taney County, Mo., restaurant has been indicted by a federal grand jury for tax evasion and Social Security fraud.

 

Tony E. Cowden, 62, of Protem, Mo., was charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Cowden’s arrest and initial court appearance.

 

Cowden operated Tony’s Pizza House in Protem since April 2008. The federal indictment alleges that Cowden engaged in a scheme to conceal taxable income from the IRS from April 2008 to January 2015 by not depositing all of the proceeds of his restaurant’s cash sales into the restaurant’s checking account, and not reporting that cash income to the IRS.

 

Cowden encouraged his customers to pay in cash by offering discounts for cash payments. Cowden allegedly concealed the cash he skimmed from the restaurant from his accountant and so evaded paying federal income taxes on that revenue.

 

The federal indictment charges Cowden with five counts of tax evasion for taxes filed from 2010 to 2014, for a total tax loss of $80,689.

 

The federal indictment also alleges that Cowden received Social Security disability benefits while he continued to work and earn income from Tony’s Pizza House. Cowden allegedly concealed his work activity from the Social Security Administration by falsely claiming that he was not working, by transferring ownership of his business into his wife’s name, and by reporting all income from the business as self-employment income under his wife’s name and Social Security number.

 

Cowden also had three minor children who were eligible to receive Social Security auxiliary benefits contingent on his eligibility to receive disability benefits. Cowden served as the representative payee for his three minor children and as such, received their auxiliary Social Security payments. Because Cowden was not eligible to receive disability benefits, the indictment says, his minor children were also ineligible to receive the auxiliary payments.

 

As a result of Cowden’s scheme to fraudulently obtain Social Security disability payments from January 2014 through December 2015, the indictment says, the government incurred a loss of $70,176.

 

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

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Mohlhenrich. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and Missouri Department of Revenue.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Springfield, Mo., men and a Humansville, Mo., man were indicted by a federal grand jury today, in separate and unrelated cases, for receiving and distributing child pornography.

 

USA v. Ray

 

David William Ray, 39, of Springfield, was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography between Oct. 17, 2016, and Jan. 26, 2017.

 

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) and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force.

 

USA v. Brockman

 

Jeromey P. Brockman, 39, of Springfield, was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography between Oct. 1, 2015, and Jan. 11, 2017.

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force.

 

USA v. Lane

 

Christopher James Lane, 32, of Humansville, was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography between Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, 2016.

 

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

 

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

 

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. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Raytown, Mo., man who worked or volunteered at two area churches pleaded guilty in federal court today to embezzling more than $86,000 from those parishes.

 

David Townley, 59, of Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert E. Larsen to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion contained in a June 29, 2016, federal indictment.

 

Nativity of Mary (Wire Fraud)

 

Townley admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud Nativity of Mary church and school in Independence, Mo., from 2007 through 2013.

 

Townley was employed by the Nativity of Mary church and school as the business manager from December 2006 through June 2013. Townley handled the payroll and had access to both cash and check collections/donations, and school tuition payments. From 2011 through 2013, Townley skimmed money from cash tuition payments made by parents. Townley recorded accurate tuition deposits in the school’s log but deposited a lesser amount into the church’s bank account.

 

Townley’s bank records revealed frequent cash deposits separate from his and his wife’s salary payments. Nativity of Mary banked at the Blue Ridge Bank and Trust in Kansas City, Mo. The processing of checks through the Federal Reserve System from Nativity of Mary constituted the wire fraud.

 

 

 

Sacred Heart of Guadalupe (Mail Fraud)

 

Townley admitted that he stole $47,705 from Sacred Heart of Guadalupe church in Kansas City, Mo., in a fraud scheme that lasted from 2006 through 2013.

 

Townley was a volunteer at Sacred Heart of Guadalupe from 2002 through 2013. Townley was in charge of paying the church’s bills, making QuickBooks entries, reporting to the financial committee and filing the church’s tax returns. From 2006 through 2013, Townley negotiated more than 20 checks, totaling $47,705, and deposited them into his personal bank account. Some of these checks were unauthorized salary payments and others were made out to third parties, such as the “Society of the Precious Blood” and the Diocese of Kansas City.

 

Sacred Heart of Guadalupe banked at U.S. Bank in Kansas City, Mo., which mailed statements to the church and constituted the mail fraud.

 

According to an analysis of his bank records, Townley used the money he embezzled mostly to pay off credit card debt. A conservative estimate of the total loss is $86,297. This includes $34,131 of Sacred Heart of Guadalupe checks payable to third parties but cashed by Townley, $32,194 in additional non-payroll checks from Nativity of Mary that were deposited by Townley, and $19,971 in cash deposits that appear to be from Nativity of Mary tuition payments.

 

Tax Evasion

 

Townley admitted that he failed to file federal income tax returns for tax years 2005 through 2013. During those years, Townley had taxable income that ranged from $54,633 to $115,721. The total tax loss for those years is $59,322.

 

Townley attempted to conceal his true sources of income at Nativity of Mary and Sacred Heart of Guadalupe. The acts of evasion in those years included making false entries in the accounts of Nativity of Mary and skimming cash from tuition payments made by parents at the Nativity of Mary school.

 

Under federal statutes, Townley is subject to a sentence of up to 45 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Jefferson City, Mo., man who posted photos of stolen property, illegal drugs, guns and cash on his Facebook page pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing two firearms.

Tremaine Cordell Smith, also known as “Sak Boy Fatt Maine,” 27, of Jefferson City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth to being a felon in possession of firearms.

Jefferson City police officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence on Jan. 7, 2016. The warrant was based upon a Columbia, Mo., Police Department investigation of stolen property. Smith had posted photos of several stolen items on his Facebook profile.

During the search, several stolen items were recovered, including two stolen handguns – a Ruger 9mm pistol and a Springfield 9mm pistol.

According to today’s plea agreement, Smith posted a picture on his Facebook profile on Oct. 5, 2014, that showed a pistol covered up with $100 bills. The handgun in the picture appeared to be a Springfield 9mm like the stolen firearm recovered from Smith’s residence. Smith also posted photos on his Facebook profile between Nov. 12, 2011, and Dec. 15, 2015, that showed what appeared to be large quantities of money, marijuana and firearms. One photo showed Smith with money inside a bag that appeared to be the same bag that contained the stolen firearms located during the search of his 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. Smith has three prior felony convictions in Cole County, Mo., for distributing a controlled substance.

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

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Platte City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography following an undercover operation in which he attempted to meet two minor girls for sex.

 

Daniel C. Irwin, 39, of Platte City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 13 years and nine months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Irwin to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration.

 

On July 7, 2016, Irwin pleaded guilty to distributing a video of child pornography over the Internet. Irwin was an assistant vice president of accounting at a Kansas City, Mo., corporation at the time of the offense.

 

Irwin admitted that he sent the child pornography video to an undercover detective with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department. Irwin met with the undercover detective and attempted to exchange incest pornography for the opportunity to have sex with the undercover detective’s two minor daughters (ages 12 and 16). Irwin sent additional videos of child pornography to the undercover detective on Aug. 4, 2014.

 

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police 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."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Leawood, Kan., attorney pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a fraud conspiracy, while his former law partner was sentenced for stealing more than $1.2 million from St. Luke’s Health System, a client of their former law firm.

 

Mark J. Schultz, 57, of Leawood, 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 participating in a wire fraud and mail fraud conspiracy.

 

Alan B. Gallas, 65, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to one year and one day in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Gallas to pay $1,224,264 in restitution to St. Luke’s. Gallas must report to the Bureau of Prisons by April 10, 2017, to begin serving his sentence.

 

Schultz and Gallas were attorneys and partners in the law firm of Gallas & Shultz in Kansas City, Mo., which specialized in collection work for corporations. Gallas surrendered his license to practice law in Missouri and Kansas in November 2015.

 

On April 13, 2016, Gallas pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Gallas admitted that he engaged in a scheme from 2009 through July 2015 to defraud a client, St. Luke’s Health System, of monies collected by his law firm totaling $1,224,264.

 

By pleading guilty today, in a separate but related case, Schultz admitted that he participated in the conspiracy from January 2014 through July 2015. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Schultz must forfeit to the government any property he derived from the proceeds of the wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy.

 

Gallas was the attorney responsible for the St. Luke’s account at the law firm. After attempting to collect on patient accounts for a period of time, St. Luke’s would transfer its larger outstanding patient accounts to Gallas & Shultz for collection. As payments on patient accounts were received, the payments were logged into the case management system for the appropriate patient account. The monies were then deposited into the law firm’s trust account. On a periodic basis, often monthly, the firm would remit the patient payments collected to St. Luke’s.

 

Gallas admitted that he caused personnel at the law firm to withhold money from payments made to St. Luke’s by placing thousands of payments on “hold” status, then directing those funds be transferred from the trust account to the firm’s operating account. The pattern of not remitting some payments to St. Luke’s escalated significantly from 2012 to 2015. According to court documents, Gallas withheld 601 payments totaling $211,391 in 2012. Gallas withheld 699 payments totaling $266,696 in 2013. Gallas withheld 625 payments totaling $227,892 in 2014. Through the month of July 2015, Gallas withheld 625 payments totaling $216,845.

 

Schultz admitted today that he agreed with Gallas and others to transfer funds from the trust account into the law firm’s operating account. The amount of funds diverted by Schultz, and the amount of restitution Schultz must pay to St. Luke’s for the total amount of its loss, will be determined by the court at Schultz’s sentencing hearing.

 

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

 

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Kan., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to a carjacking that ended in a multiple-vehicle collision with injuries and the death of the car owner’s dog.

 

Stephen D. Bagley, 26, of Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Bagley has remained in prison, serving a sentence imposed by the U.S. District Court in the District of Kansas, since he was indicted on July 8, 2015.

 

By pleading guilty today, Bagley admitted that he stole a 2008 Nissan Altima at gunpoint on June 22, 2014. Bagley brandished a Glock .40-caliber pistol during the carjacking.

 

According to today’s plea agreement, the owner of the vehicle was standing near the car talking to some friends at about 2:30 a.m., while parked in front of Express Mart at 3786 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. A friend was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle when Bagley grabbed the door handle. The passenger told him “this ain’t your car.” Bagley then pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at her while he got in the driver’s seat. While pointing the gun at her, Bagley told her to get out of the car.

 

The vehicle owner’s dog, Mister, was left inside the vehicle when Bagley backed out of the station and sped off. The owner and his friend got into another friend’s car and attempted to follow the Altima as they last saw it speeding northbound on Interstate 35. They returned to the Express Mart and contacted police to report the carjacking.

 

A few minutes later, officers were dispatched to a multi-vehicle crash with injuries on Interstate 35, in the northbound lanes near West Pennway, in Kansas City, Mo. The Altima had crashed into multiple vehicles and Bagley had fled from the crash site. Mister was found dead inside the Altima.

 

Detectives obtained the surveillance video from the Express Mart during the time of the carjacking. Bagley’s U.S. probation officer, who had supervised Bagley since his release in April 2014 from the Bureau of Prisons, identified him as the assailant. In August 2014, an ATF agent interviewed a woman who was involved in a domestic dispute with Bagley in which Bagley fired six shots with a .40-caliber pistol. The .40-caliber spent shell casings were recovered as evidence, and the victim identified Bagley in photos taken from the surveillance video.

 

U.S. Marshals had arrested Bagley on July 29, 2014, for violating his supervised release in the District of Kansas case. Marshals executed a search warrant at Bagley’s residence at the time of his arrest and recovered the Glock .40-caliber pistol, an extended magazine and multiple rounds of ammunition.

 

A forensic scientist determined that the Glock pistol recovered from Bagley’s residence was the pistol that fired a spent shell casing recovered from inside the Altima on June 22, 2014. The ballistics also matched the spent shell casings recovered from the domestic dispute involving Bagley.

 

Under federal statutes, Bagley is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for carjacking, plus a consecutive sentence of at least seven years in prison, up to life in federal prison without parole, for the firearm violation. 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 Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

 

Michael E. Ford, 37, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charges contained in a Dec. 9, 2015, federal indictment.

 

By pleading guilty today, Ford admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from June 1 through Sept. 11, 2015. Ford also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug-trafficking conspiracy.

 

According to today’s plea agreement, a co-conspirator shipped methamphetamine from California to Springfield in two to two-and-a-half-pound increments to co-defendant Lisa Renae Thompson, 39, of Springfield. Thompson picked up the packages at various hotels in the Springfield area then contacted Ford. Ford picked up the methamphetamine from Thompson and distributed it to others.

 

After a few days, according to the plea agreement, Ford would then meet with Thompson and give her $10,800. Thompson kept $800 and sent $10,000 to the co-conspirator in California.

 

Thompson admitted that she received approximately 24 pounds of methamphetamine, which she gave to Ford. Thompson also kept some of the methamphetamine and sold it directly to others.

 

After Thompson was arrested on Sept. 11, 2015, Ford began receiving methamphetamine shipments for the co-conspirator in California. On Sept. 30, 2015, the Springfield police department received a phone call from a FedEx employee about a suspicious package. Police officers delivered the 2.2-pound package of methamphetamine to Ford at a Springfield residence, where he was arrested. Ford had a Ruger .22-caliber handgun in his possession.

 

Thompson pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy on Dec. 13, 2016.

 

Under federal statutes, Ford and Thompson are each subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 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 Abram McGull II. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to filing a false tax return as part of a scheme that resulted in at least $138,000 in refunds.

 

Tara F. Garrett, 36, of Joplin, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges her with making a false claim upon the government.

 

By pleading guilty today, Garrett admitted that she prepared and electronically submitted at least 20 fraudulent federal income tax returns on behalf of herself and others from February 2010 through April 15, 2015. Garrett used Turbo Tax software on her computer to submit the returns, which included false wage and/or income information on each return for the purpose of increasing the earned income credit, which in turn increased the amount of the tax refund. Those refunds were electronically deposited into Garrett’s bank account or split between her account and the account of the individual for whom the return was prepared.

 

Garrett kept a significant portion of each refund as payment for preparing the fraudulent tax returns. The total amount of refunds claimed by Garrett, for herself and others, through these tax returns totaled at least $138,135.

 

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

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Steven Mohlhenrich. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a California man pleaded guilty in federal court today to a nearly $460,000 bank fraud scheme that involved stolen checks and false identities.

 

Michael Keefe White, 61, of Winnetka, Calif., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.

 

By pleading guilty today, White admitted that he obtained checks stolen from the mail, then used counterfeit identification (such as driver’s licenses with his photo and the name of a victim) to open bank accounts in Missouri and other states in which to deposit the stolen checks as well as counterfeit checks modeled from the stolen checks. White then withdrew or wire transferred the money out of the account.

 

White used numerous counterfeit driver’s licenses to open bank accounts in a total attempted fraud amount of at least $459,896.

 

The specific bank fraud to which White pleaded guilty involved an account at a Parkville, Mo., bank in which White deposited a $48,700 counterfeit check. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, White must forfeit to the government $248,155, which represents the actual loss attributable to the fraud scheme.

 

Under federal statutes, White is subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole for bank fraud and money laundering, 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. 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, U.S. Department of Treasury – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspector Service.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Oak Lawn, Ill., man and a Springfield, Mo., man have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a heroin trafficking conspiracy in the Springfield area.

Deauntee Q. Mosby, 24, of Oak Lawn, and Joshua C. Leamon, 26, of Springfield, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Mosby was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison without parole. Leamon was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

Both Mosby and Leamon pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin in Greene County, Mo., between May 29, 2013, and Feb. 12, 2015.

Mosby admitted that he bought heroin in the Chicago, Ill., area and had it transported in vehicles to the Springfield area, where it was sold to Leamon and other co-conspirators for distribution.

Mosby was stopped by law enforcement officers on two occasions. On Aug. 28, 2013, he was the passenger in a vehicle that was stopped in Nixa, Mo. Mosby, who smelled of marijuana, was asked to get out of the vehicle. The officer searched the vehicle and found a syringe that contained heroin between the front driver and passenger seat, a digital scale with heroin residue, and $2,373 in the driver’s wallet. The officer also found a firearm in the trunk. Mosby was also stopped in Pulaski County, Mo., on Jan. 12, 2015, by a St. Robert, Mo., police officer. The officer smelled marijuana in the vehicle and arrested Mosby for an active warrant. Officers searched the vehicle and found a plastic bag behind a panel below the center console that contained 59.36 grams of heroin.

Mosby also admitted that he sold seven grams of heroin to a confidential law enforcement informant in Springfield for $1,100 on Sept. 13, 2013.

Leamon admitted that he purchased heroin from Mosby and other conspirators. He would then distribute the heroin for $30 for each tenth of a gram. Leamon sold and used approximately a quarter of an ounce of heroin per week. Leamon also admitted that he accompanied others to Chicago, St. Louis, Mo., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., to buy large amounts of heroin.

Leamon admitted that he sold a Kel-Tec 9mm semi-automatic pistol and .93 gram of heroin during an undercover drug buy with Springfield Police Department detectives and a confidential informant on Feb. 12, 2015.

Mosby and Leamon are the final defendants among seven co-defendants who have been sentenced in this case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nhan D. Nguyen and Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that two Mexican nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of methamphetamine.

 

Jose Adrian Medina-Herrera, 21, and Jose Farias-Valdovinos, 41, both citizens of Mexico, were charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against both defendants on Jan. 12, 2017.

 

The federal indictment alleges that Medina-Herrera and Farias-Valdovinos participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Jan. 11, 2017. They are also charged with aiding and abetting each other to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

 

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Medina-Herrera was arrested at a local bus station on Jan. 11, 2017. Medina-Herrera, who told officers he originally had traveled from California to St. Louis, Mo., had a one-way ticket from St. Louis to Kansas City, Mo. A law enforcement officer searched his suitcase, the affidavit says, and discovered 11 bundles wrapped in brown packing tape that contained a total of 5.352 kilograms of methamphetamine.

 

Farias-Valdovinos was arrested when he arrived at the bus station to pick up Medina-Herrera.

 

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

 

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that an Albany, Mo., farmer was indicted by a federal grand jury today for a nearly $800,000 fraud scheme to receive federal crop insurance payments to which he was not entitled.

 

Ryan A. Ruckman, 60, of Albany, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Ruckman owned and operated farms in the Missouri counties of Gentry, Davies, Nodaway, Worth and Harrison, as well as counties in southern Iowa. The indictment alleges that Ruckman defrauded the government by claiming federal benefits in his son’s name in order to receive additional payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment program and the Multiple Peril Crop Insurance program.

 

In order to be eligible to receive those payments, an applicant must be actively engaged in farming. Ruckman’s son, the indictment says, was a full-time student at Logan University College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Mo. Ruckman allegedly placed crop ownership/production in his son’s name in order to increase the number of persons eligible to receive federal benefits.

 

From February 2007 to May 2010, the indictment says, Ruckman submitted documentation to provide the appearance that his son was the producer of the crops and to conceal the fact that he was the actual producer of the crops. According to the indictment, losses incurred by the government as a result of Ruckman’s fraud scheme totaled approximately $795,935.

 

According to the indictment, Ruckman used the proceeds of the fraud scheme to make payments on approximately $2.9 million in farm operating loans at Midstates Bank in Harlan, Iowa.

 

Today’s indictment charges Ruckman with eight counts of loan application fraud. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Ruckman to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged fraud.

 

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

 

This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Risk Management Agency.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Garden City, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for illegally possessing a firearm and two pipe bombs.

 

Caleb M. Ayers, 29, of Garden City, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo.

 

Today’s indictment alleges that Ayers, a convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm and explosives on May 14, 2016. Ayers allegedly possessed a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and two pipe bombs.

 

One of the pipe bombs is described in the indictment as an approximately 12-gram carbon dioxide cartridge filled with a quantity of explosive powder, with a functional green pyrotechnic fuse protruding from its opening and Zinc-coated steel balls (measuring approximately 0.174 inches in diameter) glued to the cartridge with yellow epoxy-type adhesive. The second pipe bomb is described in the indictment as a length of white PVC pipe, approximately 3/4 of inch in diameter, sealed with white PVC end caps attached at each end. The PVC pipe contained a quantity of explosive powder and there was lead shot of at least two sizes, No. 8 and No. 9, glued to the exterior of the pipe with a yellow adhesive.

 

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or explosives. Ayers has prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine and resisting arrest.

 

Ayers is also charged with one count of possessing unregistered destructive devices.

 

Ayers was originally arrested when law enforcement officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Hawthorne Bank in Drexel, Mo. When officers arrived, Ayers was sleeping in the driver’s seat of a GMC utility truck, which was running. The loaded pistol was lying on top of the center console. After Ayers was awakened, an officer searched the vehicle and found the explosive devices in a plastic box in the rear seat.

 

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

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cass County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to using a minor to produce child pornography.

 

Tyler Coons, 25, of Springfield, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of using a minor to produce child pornography and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.

 

The investigation began when the father of an 11-year-old girl filed a report with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on June 3, 2014, after his daughter received inappropriate Facebook messages from Coons. When he signed into his daughter’s Facebook account, he saw messages from Coons and set up a meeting with him, pretending to be his daughter. The father met Coons on the playground of a local elementary school and told him to have no further contact with his daughter.

 

On June 20, 2014, a search warrant was obtained for Coons’s Facebook account and Facebook provided investigators with more than 8,000 pages of private messages exchanged between Coons and others. Many of the messages were from young girls between the ages of 11 and 17. Coons asked several of the girls to send him pictures of themselves without clothes on.

 

During numerous Facebook conversations with girls claiming to be under the age of 18, Coons refers to exchanging naked pictures via social media, including Snapchat, Instagram and Kik. Frequently, during the conversations, Coons refers to the females as “jailbait” and indicates that he is aware he is engaging in illegal activity.

 

On July 10, 2014, detectives from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at Coons’s residence. Coons was inside the residence with a 17-year-old female, who was identified as one of the minors who had sent him several pornographic images of herself. Coons admitted that he and the 17-year-old were sexually active, and that they could have been sexually active while she was still 16 years old. Coons also admitted that he sent a naked picture of himself to her.

 

In an interview with investigators, the 17-year-old victim said that she and another minor, whom she believed to be 15 years old, had engaged in sexual activity with Coons at his residence on the night before the search warrant was executed.

 

Under federal statutes, Coons is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 50 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

 

Project Safe Childhood

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

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to her role in a conspiracy to exchange “food stamps” for methamphetamine or cash.

 

Julie M. Drake, 48, of Nevada, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

 

By pleading guilty today, Drake admitted that she participated in a conspiracy from Oct. 14 to Aug. 30, 2015, in Bates and Vernon Counties. Drake accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, better known as “food stamps,” in exchange for methamphetamine or a percentage of the benefits in cash. Drake then used the EBT cards and PINs belonging to others to buy her own food.

 

Vernon County Sheriff’s Department officers executed a search warrant at Drake’s residence on Oct. 14, 2015. During a search of the master bedroom, officers found a purse that contained 22 baggies of methamphetamine, weighing approximately 100 grams, packaged for distribution. Officers also found two digital scales in the bedroom closet, as well as a safe that contained $4,720. Four EBT cards belonging to four other individuals were found on the dresser.

 

Investigators then reviewed video surveillance from the Wal-Mart stores in Nevada and Lamar, Mo., which showed Drake using the EBT cards found in her bedroom.

 

In interviews with federal agents, one of the recipients of the EBT cards admitted he used his EBT benefits to buy a quarter ounce of methamphetamine from Drake. He told investigators that a $55.94 transaction was payment for the methamphetamine, which would have cost approximately half the value of the transaction. Another one of the recipients admitted to selling his EBT benefits to Drake for 50 cents per each $1 in benefits. She would come to his residence to retrieve the EBT card, call the 1-800 number on the back of the EBT card to verify the balance, and then give him half of the value in cash.

 

Under federal statutes, Drake is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five 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. Attorneys Nhan D. Nguyen and Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Monett, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today in two separate cases for illegally possessing firearms.

 

Shannon Lee Barlow, 42, of Monett, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to four years and two months in federal prison without parole.

 

On Nov. 9, 2016, Barlow pleaded guilty to two separate indictments that each charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

 

On Dec. 30, 2015, law enforcement officers contacted Barlow at his residence in order to place him under arrest for felony warrants. According to court documents, Barlow came out of the back door of his house with a loaded Harrington & Richardson 20-gauge sawed-off shotgun. He was immediately confronted by law enforcement and refused numerous commands to drop the firearm. Barlow repeatedly told deputies that they would need to shoot him and he refused to disarm, even when confronted by three sheriff's deputies. Barlow's refusal to disarm continued on for approximately half an hour.

 

Barlow eventually dropped the shotgun and was arrested, at which time officers found several needles and two small plastic baggies with suspected methamphetamine in his pockets. Barlow told officers there was a meth lab in the garage that belonged to his friend. Deputies also arrested the person operating the meth lab.

 

After he was arrested, Barlow told officers that, had the deputy who originally confronted him been a man, he would have "blown the deputy away." Barlow admitted that he did not try to shoot and kill the deputy because he did not want to kill a woman, but he had no qualms about shooting a male police officer.

 

Approximately seven months later, after Barlow had been indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm, law enforcement officers came into contact with him again while investigating a suspicious vehicle parked in front of a residence. On July 8, 2016, officers entered a residence in Monett and found Barlow asleep in the living room. He had a loaded FED Hungary, 9x18mm handgun in a holster attached to his left hip. Barlow was awakened and arrested without incident.

 

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

 

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. They were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Lawrence County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.