U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
Recent News About U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri
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Registered Sex Offender Admits New Child Sex Crime
"Joshua T. Wilson, 23, of Monroe County, Missouri," has pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity. Wilson admitted to meeting a 16-year-old girl in the spring of 2022, engaging in sexual conversations and exchanging sexual images, and ultimately taking the teen to Kansas for unlawful sexual activity.Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Wilson, already a registered sex offender, faces a mandatory prison term of 10...
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Missouri Woman Admits Theft of Federal Retirement Benefits
A Missouri woman, Ronda G. Oswalt, has pleaded guilty to taking more than $75,000 in retirement benefits to which she was not entitled after the death of her mother-in-law. Oswalt, 58, of Marion County, near Hannibal, Missouri, admitted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of theft of government money. She confessed to using the federal retirement benefits that continued to be deposited into her deceased mother-in-law's credit union account to cover personal expenses.According to Oswalt's guilty plea, she failed to notify the U.S. Office of Personnel...
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Hazelwood Company Owner Admits Contract Fraud
St. Louis – The owner of a steel company in Hazelwood, Missouri, Theodore J. "Ted" Stegeman, 60, has pleaded guilty to committing fraud during a repair project for a Mississippi River lock and dam. According to Stegeman's plea agreement, he admitted to falsely claiming that a part manufactured by his company passed safety tests during the project.Stegeman's company, Industrial Steel Fabrication LLC (ISF), was a subcontractor on a project to repair Lock and Dam No. 25 on the Mississippi River. The government emphasized the critical nature of the components fabricated by...
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University City Felon Admits Possessing Gun
St. Louis, April 22, 2024 – Sheltkeem Brown, a 31-year-old convicted felon from University City, Missouri, has admitted to being caught with a gun after a shooting incident in 2022. Brown pleaded guilty to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Goeke, the incident occurred on June 25, 2022, when St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to gunshots in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Brown was seen driving a stolen maroon Chevrolet Traverse, which he crashed into a parked vehicle after a...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Gun Crime
St. Louis man, Robert Eutz III, has been sentenced to 150 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark for a gun crime. Eutz, 44, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm after being arrested by police following a shooting incident in 2023.According to Eutz’s plea agreement, officers found incriminating evidence in his vehicle shortly after the shooting, including ammunition, a handgun, and drugs. The shooting victim positively identified Eutz as the shooter, and witnesses corroborated their accounts. The investigation revealed that Eutz, a...
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Three Men Accused of Transporting Stolen Goods from St. Louis County
Three men from Florida have been accused of transporting stolen property out of the St. Louis area. Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo, Jonathan Vejar-Caro, and Henry Jose Ferreira-Perez were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of transportation of stolen goods.Ferreira-Perez appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty, while the other two are in custody in Florida. The indictment alleges that the men transported more than $5,000 in stolen goods, with Ferreira-Perez and his associates traveling from Florida to St. Louis County where they stole...
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Man Charged with Sexual Abuse on Grounds of Gateway Arch National Park
A man from Fairview Heights, Illinois has been indicted for committing a sexual assault in Gateway Arch National Park. Monte Derrell Boatman, 35, was charged with one count of sexual abuse for the forcible assault that took place on park grounds on Dec. 6, 2023, where he allegedly placed the victim in fear of death, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping.Boatman is currently in custody awaiting further legal proceedings. The indictment states that the sexual abuse charge carries a punishment of up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison time and a fine.As is...
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Webster Groves Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced Aaron Pratt, 38, of Webster Groves, Missouri, to 35 years in prison for his heinous crimes. Pratt admitted to recording his sexual abuse of one pre-teen girl and sexually abusing two other children. Pratt pleaded guilty in January to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography.During the proceedings, Pratt confessed to the disturbing details of his actions, acknowledging that he sexually abused a girl for approximately two years when she was between the...
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St. Louis Man Admits Committing Month-Long Robbery Spree
A St. Louis man, identified as James Mayes, 61, has pleaded guilty to a series of robberies and attempted robberies that took place in the span of less than a month in 2021. Mayes admitted to committing a total of 12 robberies or attempted robberies, including armed robberies, in St. Louis and St. Louis County.According to reports, Mayes targeted various establishments and individuals during his crime spree. Among his victims were employees of cell phone stores, small markets, and even individuals at public locations like Gateway National Arch Park. In some instances, he...
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Man Involved in Fatal Robbery of St. Louis County Cab Driver Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced a man involved in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood, Missouri in 2022 to 17 years in prison. Coron Dees, one of the teens involved in the robbery of Dewight Price, was handed the sentence.Dees, now 20, along with Jeremiah Allen, 20, and Trishawn Jones, 19, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge. Two others, Jones and Tywon Harris, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting in the commission of a murder. The incident unfolded after the group planned to rob Price following a taxi ride arranged to a fake address....
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St. Louis Tax Preparer Arrested, Accused of Preparing 41 Fraudulent Returns
ST. LOUIS – Shasherese M. Reed, a St. Louis, Missouri-based tax preparer, was arrested on Tuesday after being indicted for allegedly preparing 41 fraudulent tax returns for clients. The 52-year-old was charged with 41 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns.According to the indictment issued by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Reed had her Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and Electronic Filing Identification Number revoked by the IRS in 2015. Despite this, she continued to prepare tax returns for...
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St. Louis County Woman Admits $100,000 Pandemic Loan Fraud
A woman from St. Louis County, Missouri, Camille N. Foster, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to fraudulently obtaining five pandemic relief loans totaling $104,163. Foster admitted to wire fraud, acknowledging that between May 2020 and November 2021, she obtained the loans under false pretenses.Foster submitted loan applications for three businesses, Humble Hearts Home Healthcare LLC, Embellished Jewels LLC, and Muse Me Boutique LLC, providing misleading information about their payroll and annual income, as the businesses were not operational at the time. She...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Three Carjackings, Including One That Was Fatal
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Carmain Milton, 50, to 27 years in prison for his involvement in three carjackings in St. Louis in 2021, one of which resulted in the death of a 72-year-old man. Milton's criminal activities included stealing a woman's Toyota Camry, robbing two victims at gunpoint in a parking lot, and fatally injuring a man during a carjacking on North Boyle Avenue. The victims described Milton as having what appeared to be a handgun during the attacks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassandra Wiemken highlighted Milton's history of violent...
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St. Charles County Residents Accused of Forced Labor, Labor Trafficking and Theft
Four St. Charles County, Missouri residents have been indicted on charges of forced labor, labor trafficking, and theft of government funds, as reported in a recent article. According to the indictment, Venkatesh Sattaru, Nikhil Penmatsa, Sravan Penumetcha, and Nitya Sattaru are facing serious allegations.Venkatesh Sattaru, Penmatsa, and Penumetcha are accused of obtaining the labor and services of an Indian national through force and threats of force. The indictment states that Venkatesh Sattaru also faces a charge of labor trafficking.Venkatesh Sattaru and Nitya...
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Three Former St. Louis Area Residents Accused of Obtaining 11 Fraudulent Pandemic Loans
Three former residents of the St. Louis area, Brianna L. Bell-Maple, Jemyla A. Bell, and Leiah A. Vaughn, have been accused of fraudulently obtaining $229,000 in pandemic loans in 2021. The trio turned themselves in to authorities in Fresno, California, where they currently reside.According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, the three individuals face two felony counts of wire fraud. They allegedly submitted 11 fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, falsely claiming the funds were for women’s clothing businesses that...
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Seattle Man Sentenced for Buying 630,000 Counterfeit Pills on the Dark Web
St. Louis – U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Maximillian Gregory Verbowski, a 29-year-old man from Seattle, to 30 months in prison and a $10,000 fine for purchasing 630,000 counterfeit Xanax and other pills on the dark web. Verbowski will also be on supervised release for three years following his prison term.According to the case details, from October 2019 to August 30, 2021, Verbowski used cryptocurrency and cash to acquire large quantities of counterfeit generic alprazolam and other prescription pills on the dark web for resale. The pills were...
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St. Charles County Man Admits Child Pornography, Enticement Charges
ST. LOUIS – A 27-year-old man from St. Charles County, Missouri, Tristin M. Davis, has pleaded guilty to charges of child pornography and enticement involving minors. Davis admitted to engaging in online sexual activity with three teenagers across the country, leading to a minimum of 15 years in prison.According to reports, Davis faced six counts, including coercion and enticement of a minor, as well as receipt of child pornography. He initially deceived the victims about his age, communicating with a 14-year-old girl in New York, a 16-year-old in Connecticut, and a...
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St. Louis County Man Admits Two Carjackings
A man from Jennings, Missouri, identified as Ahmod Samez Moore, 28, has pleaded guilty to committing two carjackings in October, as reported on Thursday. Moore admitted to the crimes, including brandishing a firearm, during the incidents that took place in 2023.According to the details disclosed, Moore confessed to robbing an acquaintance and stealing his 2015 Kia Optima at gunpoint on October 5, 2023. Additionally, five days later, Moore was involved in another carjacking in St. Louis, where he stole a 2003 GMC Envoy from a man.During the first carjacking incident,...
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Hannibal Man Sentenced to 137 Months in Prison for Gun, Drug Crimes
St. Louis – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon from Hannibal, Missouri who was caught with methamphetamine and a gun to 137 months in prison.According to witnesses and evidence presented at Fuget's trial in January, after a traffic stop of Justin Fuget on March 25, 2022, Hannibal Police Department officers spotted a large safe on the passenger seat of Fuget’s vehicle. Fuget, a felon, was found with a firearm, which he is prohibited from possessing. The officers also discovered drug-related items during the search."During a...
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Man Who Committed Three St. Louis Area Robberies Sentenced to 129 Months in Prison
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey handed down a verdict on Tuesday, sentencing a man from Florissant, Missouri to serve time behind bars for his criminal actions. Autrey announced that the individual was to serve 105 months in prison for committing robberies at two area banks and a fast-food restaurant, where he brandished what appeared to be a handgun. Additionally, Autrey imposed an extra 24 months in prison on the man for violating his supervised release in a previous bank robbery case.The culprit, identified as 58-year-old Ricardo L. Rusan, was found guilty of...