U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
Recent News About U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
-
Chinese national indicted for defrauding elderly Missouri woman
A 27-year-old Chinese national, Dongyi Guo, has been indicted on charges of defrauding an elderly woman in Missouri out of $95,000. The indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 8, where Guo faced one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
-
St. Louis man convicted for multiple restaurant robberies in 2020
A St. Louis man was convicted by a jury on Wednesday for the robbery and attempted robbery of four restaurants within a week in 2020. Kammeron Davis, 33, was found guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
-
St. Louis man receives 30-year sentence for fatal carjacking of friend
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Fatally Carjacking Friend
-
Dunklin County Man Caught with Nearly 2 Pounds of Methamphetamine Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. sentenced a man caught with nearly two pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs to 10 years in prison following a traffic stop on Nov. 18, 2022, near Advance, Missouri. Lee Roy Foley III was found trying to conceal a bag containing an assortment of pills during the stop made by a deputy with the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office. Foley, driving with a suspended license, was arrested, leading to the discovery of 849 grams of meth, about two pounds of marijuana, and two chocolate bars containing the psychedelic Psilocybin. Foley, from...
-
Missouri sex offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for new child pornography crime
"ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender who sought child pornography from a 13-year-old to 20 years in prison.
-
Lincoln County Man Sentenced to 27 Years for Producing Child Pornography
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced Christopher C. Parker, 32, to 27 years in prison for his involvement in producing child pornography. Parker, who recorded his sexual abuse of two young girls, also shared the recordings and discussed his abuse of the victims online.According to reports, Parker's actions came to light when he uploaded images of child sexual abuse, prompting multiple tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The FBI was notified on March 21, 2023, leading to a search of Parker's residence in the...
-
Former School Bus Driver Indicted on Child Pornography Charges
A former school bus driver from St. Peters, Missouri, Robert W. Stillwell, has been indicted on charges of producing child pornography. According to the indictment in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Stillwell is accused of recording the sexual abuse of two minor victims between December 1, 2020, and January 5, 2024."If convicted, each charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years," the authorities stated.The FBI, the St. Peters Police Department, and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force...
-
Texas Man Admits Stealing $319,000 from Armored Car
A man from Texas has admitted to stealing $319,000 from an armored car in Missouri back in 2022. Malik Johnson, 26, broke into an armored truck at the Overland Plaza shopping center and made off with three bags containing the hefty sum. The theft took place while the driver was picking up cash from a retailer at the shopping center.Johnson pleaded guilty on Thursday to interstate transportation of stolen property. According to an unnamed source, "He is scheduled to be sentenced August 5." The charge he faces carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine,...
-
Former Boy Scout Volunteer Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Hiding Cameras in Camp Bathrooms
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a St. Francois County, Missouri scout camp. David Lee Nelson was also ordered to pay special assessments for victims and prevention programs, as well as for counseling for the victims involved in the case.Nelson, who hid cameras in paper towel dispensers at the S Bar F Scout Ranch in St. Francois County, pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of attempted production of child pornography. Following his...
-
Woman Accused of Bilking St. Louis-Area Company Extradited from Scotland
Sarah Lynn Tweedie, now 49, has been extradited from Scotland to face charges of embezzling $165,000 from a St. Louis-area company. Tweedie, who was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on June 21, 2018, faces multiple counts of fraud and identity theft.According to the indictment, Tweedie, while working as a controller at a St. Louis area publishing company, engaged in various fraudulent activities between July 2017 and January 2018. This included using company funds for personal expenses such as a Scottish kilt and a premium seat upgrade on a flight, as well as...
-
Poplar Bluff Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Sales
A Poplar Bluff man, Joshua E. Forbes, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in selling methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. handed down the sentence, which included 10 years for selling methamphetamine and an additional two years for violating supervised release related to a previous heroin distribution case.According to reports, Forbes, 31, was caught selling methamphetamine to a member of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and coordinating other individuals to sell the drug on multiple occasions between June and August...
-
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Selling Fentanyl
A man from St. Louis County, Missouri, Donald Lawrence Bateman, has been sentenced to 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross for selling drugs to a woman who later died. Bateman, 28, pleaded guilty in January to distribution of a controlled substance and possession with the intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing fentanyl. According to the report, Bateman admitted to selling illegal drugs to a St. Louis woman who was found dead the next day. In a series of text messages, Bateman and the victim discussed the sale of drugs, including...
-
Darknet Vendor Who Sold Millions of Counterfeit Xanax Sentenced
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced Brandon Adams, 27, a man who sold millions of counterfeit Xanax pills on the Darknet, to 24 months in prison. Additionally, Adams was fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit nearly $1 million. He will also be on supervised release for three years following his prison term.Adams pleaded guilty to three felony counts, including conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance via the internet, conspiracy to sell misbranded/counterfeit drugs, and selling counterfeit drugs. He operated under the alias...
-
Jefferson County Contractor Admits Aiding Financial Exploitation of Elderly Victim
Austin James, a man from Jefferson County, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to aiding in defrauding an elderly St. Louis woman out of more than $500,000. According to reports, James admitted to knowingly using the means of identification of another person to commit bank fraud and financial exploitation of the elderly.James confessed to aiding Gino Rives in exploiting the 80-year-old victim, who had hired Rives to renovate her home. Rives falsely claimed to be a licensed contractor and instructed the woman to write checks totaling over $550,000 for renovations on a property...
-
Sex Offender Caught in Halfway House with Child Pornography Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender who was caught in a halfway house with child sexual abuse material to 15 years in prison.Eric Michael Swancutt, 46, pleaded guilty in January in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography. A court-approved search of the phone uncovered child pornography and evidence that Swancutt had searched for child pornography, according to Swancutt's plea agreement.In 2017, Swancutt was sentenced in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis to 97 months in...
-
Felon Caught with Guns and Pounds of Marijuana in St. Louis County Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught with six kilograms of marijuana and two guns to 10 years in prison.Jamie Jeffrey, 47, of Eureka, California, was driving a 2008 Bentley when St. Louis County Police officers discovered the illicit items in his possession. According to reports, Jeffrey had a box containing bags of marijuana weighing approximately six kilograms, two pistols, and $1,030 in cash in his pants pocket at the time of the arrest.Jeffrey confessed to authorities that the marijuana found in his...
-
Texas Man Admits Selling 1.4 Kilos of Methamphetamine to the DEA
ST. LOUIS – A man from Texas confessed to selling a substantial amount of illegal drugs to an undercover agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The individual, identified as Marco Chavira, not only admitted to selling 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine but also providing an additional kilogram of cocaine to the agent for distribution.Chavira, 35, from El Paso, Texas, acknowledged his actions in a hearing at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis. According to reports, Chavira believed the agent he met in El Paso was a courier who would transport the narcotics to...
-
St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 105 Months in Prison
ST. LOUIS – A man involved in a 2022 carjacking incident has been sentenced to 105 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk. The sentencing took place on Thursday in relation to the case that unfolded on July 7, 2022, outside a Family Dollar store in Jennings.During the incident, the carjacker, identified as La’Vontray Hayes-Williams, brandished a handgun and demanded the vehicle from the driver by saying, "give me the car." Subsequently, he fled the scene with his girlfriend in a 2018 Nissan Sentra, triggering a high-speed chase that spanned nearly ten...
-
St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 160 Months in Prison for Gun and Methamphetamine Possession
U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark handed down a significant sentence of 160 months in prison to Antwon Fulton, a convicted felon found in possession of a rifle and methamphetamine. Fulton, 33, from St. John, Missouri, was traveling as a passenger in a vehicle that caught the attention of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers due to its missing front license plate and expired temporary license tag on the rear.During the stop on May 6, 2021, a Chinese SKS semi-automatic rifle and a bag containing 27.05 grams of methamphetamine were discovered in the vehicle....
-
Four Admit Bank Fraud Linked to Stolen Mail
Four individuals from Warren County, Missouri have recently pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a bank fraud scheme connected to the theft of mail, checks, and personal information. According to court proceedings, Elijah Briggs, Jessica Kirkpatrick, Reuben Kim, and Holly Naylor admitted their involvement in the criminal activities.Elijah Briggs, 42, confessed to three counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He acknowledged stealing mail and checks while working as a contractor, leading to financial losses for various victims. Jessica...