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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Charleston Man Sentenced to Serve 8 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Fentanyl
A man from Charleston, Missouri, Kyrron Haynes, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the distribution of fentanyl. U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming made the announcement, stating that Haynes appeared before U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig in Cape Girardeau for his sentencing. During his guilty plea hearing, Haynes confessed to selling fentanyl to an individual in Charleston on two occasions in March 2023. Little did he know, the buyer was an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Haynes was also revealed to have been on parole...
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St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man who was caught on camera carjacking a truck in 2020 to 27 years in prison. James Blakemore, now 37, was convicted by a jury at a November trial of three felonies: carjacking, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.Trial evidence and testimony showed that on Sept. 16, 2020, the victim was napping in his company’s 2016 Dodge Ram at the Convention Center MetroLink Station in downtown St. Louis when Blakemore opened...
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Dunklin County Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison on Methamphetamine, Gun Charges
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced 48-year-old Anthony D. Emery from Kennett to eight years in prison for selling methamphetamine from his Dunklin County home. Emery pleaded guilty in December to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He acknowledged having methamphetamine for sale and a loaded firearm for protection.Authorities from the Kennett Police Department searched Emery's residence on May 3, 2022, discovering a significant amount of illegal...
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Man Caught with Drugs After his Release from Prison Sentenced to 12 ½ More Years
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig sentenced a man caught with drugs just weeks after his release from prison to 12 ½ more years in prison. Roderick Omar Wheeler Jr., who was found with methamphetamine and other drugs, was staying at a home in Kennett with his uncle after being released from the federal Bureau of Prisons in April.According to Wheeler's plea agreement and a government sentencing memorandum, 90 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 280 grams of synthetic marijuana (K2), 33 tablets of ecstasy, 8 grams of fentanyl, and three digital scales...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Deadly Carjackings
A man from St. Louis, Missouri, Loyse Dozier, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross for his involvement in two carjackings that resulted in the death of one woman and the shooting of another.During the sentencing hearing, the surviving carjacking victim and the sister of the deceased woman, Laruth Jones, both shared the impact of Dozier's actions. Jones' sister expressed the devastation caused by Dozier's crimes, highlighting the profound loss experienced by their family.Dozier, who pleaded guilty to several felonies including...
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Oklahoma Man Convicted of Murder-For-Hire of St. Louis Schoolteacher
A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on March 19, 2024, found Phillip J. Cutler of Muskogee, Oklahoma guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and the murder-for-hire of St. Louis Public School teacher Jocelyn Peters, and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016.Prosecutors proved to jurors that Cutler was enlisted by his longtime friend, Cornelius M. Green, to commit the murders.Green, 42, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2024 to the same charges. He admitted as part of his plea hiring his longtime friend, Cutler, to kill Peters. Peters was 31 weeks...
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St. Louis Area Pediatrician Accused of Exchanging Prescriptions for Sex Acts
U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming stated, “The conduct alleged in the indictment represents an exploitation of patients who were vulnerable because they had been treated by Dr. Spiegel since they were girls, because they were struggling with an addiction, or both, to satisfy a sexual desire.” Special Agent in Charge Linda Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) added, “Physicians who recklessly and illegitimately distribute controlled substances undermine critical efforts to battle the opioid crisis and betray their...
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St. Louis Man Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Drug, Gun Crimes
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man, Courtlend Green, has been sentenced to 65 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig for his involvement in drug and gun-related crimes. Green, 27, was caught with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and two fully automatic handguns. The sentencing comes after Green's actions on Jan. 3, 2023, where he was apprehended by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives.According to reports, Green's Honda Crosstour was found to contain two Glock handguns modified with illegal "switches" that turned them into fully automatic...
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St. Louis Man Admits Home Health Care Fraud
A man from St. Louis, Missouri, Christopher J. Spencer, has admitted to committing home health care fraud by using his brother's identity to obtain around $31,700 from the Missouri Medicaid Program. Spencer pleaded guilty to five counts of making false statements relating to health care benefits, acknowledging his deceit from June 2018 to February 2022 in connection with claims for Medicaid-reimbursed personal care assistance services.Spencer confessed to the fraudulent activity, admitting to submitting false time sheets and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) records,...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Gun Crime
St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Gun CrimeST. LOUIS– U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Wednesday sentenced a felon caught with a gun to 55 months in prison.Police searched the St. Louis County, Missouri apartment of Martez D. Lindsey on April 25, 2023, while investigating a fatal hit-and-run. Detectives found a stolen Taurus G3 pistol, .53 grams of cocaine base, .33 grams of methamphetamine, 1.14 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and $1,370 in cash in Lindsey’s bedroom. Lindsey, 31, admitted as part of his plea agreement in December that he knew he’d been...
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Man Accused of Defrauding Investors in Sports Betting Fund
A man from Pennsylvania, Elijah A. Goshert, has been indicted in St. Louis on three counts of wire fraud for allegedly defrauding investors in a sports betting fund for over five years. Goshert, who had a day job at a telecommunications company, is accused of misleading investors about the Magellan Sports Fund, claiming it used a sophisticated computer algorithm to place sports bets with reduced risks. However, according to the indictment, Goshert actually used investors' money for personal expenses including Disney vacations, private school tuition, and mortgage payments....
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Man Sentenced to 7+ Years in Prison After Domestic Assault, Shooting
St. Louis County man Joshua Lee, 37, has been sentenced to seven years and five months in prison after assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2022. According to U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig, Lee pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The incident occurred on August 6, 2022, when Lee was caught with a handgun by Saint Louis County Police officers responding to a report of a domestic incident involving an assault and shooting. The victim, Lee's then-girlfriend, had been shot in the back.During the sentencing, Judge Fleissig stated,...
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Arkansas Man Admits Exchanging Nude Pictures with Girl
A man from Arkansas, Joseph D. Najera, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to exchanging nude pictures with a minor for five years, starting when she was 12. Najera, 25, of Lincoln, Arkansas, admitted to one felony count of coercion and enticement of a minor.According to his plea agreement, Najera and the victim met in 2017 via Kik Messenger. The victim, who was underage, was told by Najera to perform sex acts during video chats and create pornographic images and pictures. He also sent her pornographic videos via TextNow and Facebook Messenger. Najera...
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Two Men Accused of Kidnapping St. Louis County Toddler
Two men, Kendal “KD” White and Cam’Ron Henderson, both 19 years old, have been indicted by a grand jury for the kidnapping of a toddler in St. Louis County, Missouri, on August 10, 2023. According to reports, the incident took place in north St. Louis County when White and Henderson went to the child's mother's home in search of the child's father, whom they believed had stolen firearms from White.During the attempted kidnapping, White reportedly pistol-whipped the mother when she resisted, and they ultimately left the child with strangers in St. Louis after seeing an...
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Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 14+ Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl
Cape Girardeau Man Sentenced to 14+ Years in Prison for Selling FentanylU.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a Cape Girardeau, Missouri man to 175 months in prison for selling fentanyl. Jimmy L. Hudson Jr., 47, pleaded guilty last year to distribution of fentanyl. He admitted selling fentanyl in April of 2023 to an informant working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).According to court documents, "This latest case represents Hudson’s third federal drug-trafficking conviction." This indicates a pattern of criminal behavior in...
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Missouri Woman Admits $135,000 Pandemic Loan Fraud
A woman in Missouri has admitted to fraudulently obtaining $135,622 in loans through a pandemic relief program. Edna E. McGowan-Baker, 48, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud charges in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday.According to the court documents, McGowan-Baker engaged in a scheme between May 2020 and September 2021 to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. She applied for PPP loans for five different companies in her name, even though only two of the companies were actually operational at the time.McGowan-Baker...
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Man Admits Armed Robbery of St. Louis 7-Eleven
An Illinois man, identified as Payton Robert Yates, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the armed robbery of a 7-Eleven store in St. Louis, Missouri. The incident took place on June 30, 2023, at the 7-Eleven located at 5350 Chippewa Street. Yates, aged 23, admitted to the crime in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday.During the robbery, Yates approached the cash register, placed a bag of Hot Fries on the counter, and then brandished a handgun. He demanded the cashier to "Empty the register" before fleeing the scene with $134.77 and the bag of Hot Fries....
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Missouri Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of Toddler
U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White has sentenced Kyle J. Gipson, 23, of Jefferson County, to 30 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a toddler. Judge White also ordered Gipson to pay a $5,000 assessment for victims and prevention programs.According to his guilty plea, Gipson was involved in a social media group focused on child sexual abuse material, bestiality, and rape. He possessed child sexual abuse material involving a 2-year-old victim and discussed his actions on social media.An undercover FBI agent discovered Gipson's activities in an online group...
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Two Admit Stealing Mail in Chesterfield
ST. LOUIS – Two men, Christopher Ali Pate and Eryk Campbell, have admitted to stealing mail from mailboxes in Chesterfield, Missouri. Pate, 31, pleaded guilty to one felony count of mail theft in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, while Campbell, 28, also pleaded guilty to the same count on February 20. Both men confessed to the crime of stealing mail from multiple mailboxes in Chesterfield on August 28, 2023, with Pate being the orchestrator of the theft.Following the theft, Pate and Campbell were involved in a dramatic escape. They drove to a gas station in St. Louis,...
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Lake St. Louis Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of Young Girl
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a Lake St. Louis, Missouri man to 25 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a young girl.Steve G. Flores, now 52, produced hundreds of pictures and videos of the victim, and stored them on electronic devices and online. Flores pleaded guilty in December to one count of production of child pornography.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department, and St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case.This...