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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Missouri Woman Admits Attempting $1.6 Million Pandemic Loan Fraud
A woman from O’Fallon, Missouri, admitted submitting a series of fraudulent applications seeking pandemic loans totaling more than $1.6 million. Dearika L. Binion, now 36, successfully obtained two loans totaling $75,600. Binion pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday to three counts of bank fraud.Binion admitted to the fraudulent activities, saying, "I submitted a false and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application to the Small Business Administration on behalf of Domi More, a company I registered in 2014."She continued her...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Shooting, Carjackings
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced James Furlow, a man from St. Ann, Missouri, to 18 years in prison for his involvement in two carjackings and a store clerk shooting incident. According to the court proceedings, Furlow carjacked a 2017 Kia Sorrento SUV at gunpoint on Dec. 26, 2021, before attempting to break into an ATM by shooting at it.During the same day, Furlow, along with Monya Jones, robbed a Quick Mart in St. Louis County, where Furlow shot the store clerk in the mouth, causing serious injuries. Furlow's criminal activities continued four days later...
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Youth Sports Coach Admits Seeking Sex with Teen
A former youth sports coach in St. Louis, Trevor White, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor for sex. White, 41, admitted to initiating a text message conversation with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover St. Louis County police detective.White, who was friends with the girl's parents, requested a photo of the girl and engaged in sexually explicit conversations, seeking a "positive response" from the victim. He even went as far as sending a shirtless photo of himself to the undercover officer.The suspicious...
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Men Admit St. Louis Area Mail Theft, Bank Fraud Conspiracy
Two men in the St. Louis area have pleaded guilty to charges related to a mail theft and bank fraud conspiracy. Dareon Graham, 23, of Ferguson, Missouri, admitted to conspiracy to commit mail theft, bank fraud, and possession of stolen mail matter. Meanwhile, Tyrell Hardin, 21, of Hanley Hills, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft and two counts of mail theft.According to their guilty pleas, the men were involved in a scheme where they stole mail from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes to obtain personal and business checks. Graham organized the conspiracy,...
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Canadian Man Sentenced for Cross-Country Crime Spree
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Mohsen Akbari, a Canadian man who conducted a cross-country crime spree, to 15 months in prison for stealing $109,000 from retailers in at least 11 states. Judge Pitlyk also ordered Akbari to repay the money, with $75,000 already seized from his accounts.During his crime spree, Akbari employed various tactics to steal money from retailers. He would make a small purchase and then deceive store employees into giving him cash by using sleight-of-hand techniques. Akbari's modus operandi included claiming to collect $100 bills with...
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Sikeston Man with Over 12 Felony Convictions Sentenced to Serve 200 Months in Prison for Gun Crime
A Sikeston, Missouri man, Milton Napoleon Porter, 41, has been sentenced to serve 200 months in prison for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark handed down the sentence after Porter pleaded guilty to the offense and acknowledged his prohibited status as a gun possessor due to his multiple felony convictions.According to court documents, Porter was apprehended by officers from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety after a reported vehicle break-in incident on East Kathleen Street last July. Porter attempted...
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St. Charles County Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Soliciting Sex from Minors
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced Thomas J. Bowles, a registered sex offender from St. Charles County, Missouri, to 40 years in prison for soliciting sex from two minor victims via social media.Bowles, now 48, repeatedly contacted a female minor offering to be her “sugar daddy” in exchange for sex acts and explicit material. He also targeted a second minor, claiming he could mentor her in the modeling industry and providing gifts in exchange for sexual contact.In a victim impact statement, one of the victims described Bowles as...
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Man Accused of Secretly Recording Women in St. Louis Area
A man in the St. Louis area has been indicted on a federal charge for allegedly engaging in disturbing activities. Erik Elsasser, 37, faces one felony count of distribution of child pornography, to which he pleaded not guilty. According to the indictment, Elsasser is accused of distributing images and videos containing child pornography online between August 2022 and August 2023.The motion filed against Elsasser reveals even more troubling details, stating that he surreptitiously recorded individuals in various private settings. One incident involved a partially nude...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Six Armed Robberies
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross handed down a 17-year prison sentence to Bruce Franklin, a St. Louis man involved in six armed robberies within a three-month period in 2021. Franklin, 64, confessed to targeting various stores, including cell phone stores and a Family Dollar outlet, during his criminal spree.According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Dunkel, Franklin's crime spree included robbing the Boost Mobile store at 3636 Page Boulevard, the T-Mobile at 4167 Lindell Boulevard, the MetroPCS at 3949 Lindell Boulevard, and the Family Dollar at 11123 Bellefontaine Road...
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Florissant Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Sheldon S. Dokes to eight years in prison for possessing over 1,700 images containing child sexual abuse material. Dokes, now 31, uploaded the files from his mother's home in Florissant, Missouri, using the screen name "Sin Frost." He admitted to first viewing child sexual abuse material in a group chat on the Kik app.According to the report, Dokes had multiple images and videos of child pornography on his phone, Instagram account, and Facebook Messenger. He also distributed some of these materials via Kik Messenger. Dokes...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced to a Total of 10 Years in Prison for Drug, Gun Crimes
A St. Louis County man, Antwan Boothe, has been sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison for drug and gun crimes. The sentencing was conducted by U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry, who presided over the case involving Boothe's possession of fentanyl and a firearm.Boothe, 33, was involved in a police chase after fleeing a traffic stop with his 9-year-old son in the car. During the pursuit, Boothe hit multiple parked cars and attempted to escape on foot, discarding a gun as he fled. Upon his arrest, officers discovered a significant amount of fentanyl in his...
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Webster Groves Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Gun and Drug Crimes
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry sentenced 26-year-old Taylor Aellen Foster of Webster Groves, Missouri, to 10 years in prison for gun and drug crimes. Foster had pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.According to reports, Foster was found unconscious in a car at St. Louis Lambert International Airport by St. Louis County police on August 7, 2022. The officers discovered a handgun and a stolen catalytic converter in the vehicle, and as a convicted felon, Foster was prohibited...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Supplying the Fentanyl that Killed 19-Year-Old
A man who supplied the fentanyl that led to the death of a 19-year-old in Jefferson County, Missouri has been sentenced to 22 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry. William Edward Martin, 23, was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim's family for her funeral expenses.According to reports, Martin met the victim at a Walgreens in Arnold, Missouri, where he provided her with fentanyl. Tragically, the victim was found dead the following morning after being concealed in her locked car by Martin.Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, of...
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Missouri Man Admits Possessing Child Pornography
A Warren County, Missouri man, Jacob D. Beauchamp, has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. According to reports, Beauchamp admitted to possessing hundreds of images containing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.Beauchamp confessed to having 146 images on his Apple iPhone, around 1,800 on his Samsung phone, and numerous images on a screensaver displayed on his laptop. The investigation into Beauchamp was initiated by a minor female who accused him of sexual abuse and recording the acts. However, Beauchamp denied these allegations in his plea...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Gun and Drug Charges
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Anthony Wooten, a 41-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri, to 10 years in prison for being caught with a fully automatic Glock handgun and cocaine base after a police chase. Wooten, who pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, admitted to his actions, stating, "I'm not going to excuse what I did."The incident occurred on May 30, 2023, when St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to stop Wooten's vehicle near the intersection of Goodfellow Boulevard and Natural...
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Man from Hawaii Admits Sextortion of Missouri Teen
In a recent case that has shocked many, Gerardo Javier Montes, a resident of Hawaii, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to the sextortion of a 14-year-old Missouri girl and the distribution of explicit images of other minors.According to court documents, Montes, 33, engaged in communication with the teenage victim through private messages on Reddit between Dec. 6, 2021, and Jan. 14, 2022. The girl, who initially believed Montes to be 21 years old, later discovered his true age. Montes steered the conversations towards sexual topics, offering advice on...
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Missouri Man Caught in Overseas Sting Admits Child Pornography Charge
ST. LOUIS – A man from Kirksville, Missouri, Corey Alexander Wadel, has pleaded guilty to a child pornography charge after being caught by an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl. Wadel admitted to possessing more than 600 images containing child sexual abuse material and exchanging that material with others online. He also confessed to taking pictures of himself exposing his genitals to two young children.The investigation began when law enforcement in the United Kingdom alerted Homeland Security Investigations about Wadel's conversations with an...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Repeatedly Robbing QuikTrip Stores
A St. Louis County man, Terrence Gleason, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of robberies at QuikTrip stores in the area. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark handed down the sentence, highlighting the severity of Gleason's crimes.According to court proceedings, Gleason, now 53, of Bel Ridge, Missouri, targeted multiple QuikTrip locations, engaging in theft and armed robberies. One of the incidents occurred at a store in Bel Ridge, where Gleason stole cigarettes and brandished a firearm to intimidate the clerks.During the sentencing, it was revealed...
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Final Teen Pleads Guilty in St. Louis County Cab Driver’s Murder
The final of four defendants involved in the fatal shooting of a cab driver in Hazelwood in 2022 has pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in the commission of a murder. Tywon Harris, 20, admitted to his role in the robbery that led to the death of Dewight Price, 54.According to the plea agreements, Harris instigated the robbery, while his accomplices Coron Dees and Trishawn Jones robbed Price at gunpoint. Jeremiah Allen taunted and threatened Price during the robbery, and Jones fired the fatal shot when he perceived Price to be a threat.The incident took...
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Final Defendant in St. Louis Area Methamphetamine Ring Sentenced to 235 Months in Prison
The final defendant in a methamphetamine distribution ring in the St. Louis area, Dedrick Deshon Jordan, has been sentenced to 235 months in prison by U.S. District Judge District Court Judge Ronnie L. White. Jordan, along with 14 other defendants, pleaded guilty in the case.According to plea agreements, Jordan, Terry James Williams, Clifford Dwight Davis Jr., and Maria D. Flores-Cervantes were connected to the source of supply in the Los Angeles area. Jordan, along with Joseph Robert Holliman, was primarily responsible for arranging the supply of meth, which was...