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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St. Charles County Man Sentenced for the Unlicensed Sales of Firearms
A man from St. Charles County, Missouri, Harry Trueblood, has been sentenced for illegally selling hundreds of guns. Trueblood, 69, was sentenced to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service. He is also now a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing or selling firearms.Trueblood pleaded guilty to being an unlicensed firearms dealer and admitted to selling firearms at gun shows without a license. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski stated in court that Trueblood purposely avoided obtaining a Federal Firearms License despite being warned...
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Four Missouri Men Accused of Stealing Mail and Committing Fraud with Stolen Checks
Four Franklin County, Missouri men have been indicted on charges accusing them of stealing mail and using stolen checks to commit bank fraud.According to the information provided in the indictment, the men - Matthew Cahill, Donald Anderson, Harvey Hale, and Joshua Hopkins - were each indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.The indictment alleges that the men obtained checks, bank account information, and personal identifying information by stealing incoming...
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East St. Louis Man Receives Life Plus 15 Years for Fentanyl Dealing and Drug-Linked Shooting Death
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Deoman Reeves, 32, of East St. Louis, to life in prison plus 15 years for charges related to fentanyl dealing and a fatal shooting in University City. Reeves was found guilty of multiple felony charges, including possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, resulting in death.Special Agent in Charge Bernard G. Hansen of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) commented on the case, stating, “This is a dangerous individual who has a...
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St. Charles Man Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of 2 Girls
A man from St. Charles, Missouri, Ronald C. Lawrence, 25, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to disturbing charges related to child pornography. According to reports, Lawrence admitted to sexually abusing two young girls for years, starting when one of them was just 7 years old. He confessed to recording the abuse and sharing the images online, as well as downloading and possessing child sexual abuse material.The investigation into Lawrence began after multiple electronic service providers reported suspicious activity to the National Center for Missing...
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Poplar Bluff Man Sentenced to Serve 10 Years in Federal Prison on Drug and Firearm Charges
A Poplar Bluff, Missouri man, Samuel D. Moore, has been sentenced to serve 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking and firearm related charges. Moore appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau for his sentencing hearing.According to court documents, law enforcement officers found multiple firearms and drug paraphernalia items at Moore's residence in Poplar Bluff last July. A search of Moore's Chevy Tahoe revealed large quantities of various controlled substances, including 30 pounds...
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Two Men Accused of Fatal St. Louis Robbery
Two men, Derrick Darnell Clark and Jeremiah Martez Sutton, have been indicted on federal drug charges following a fatal shooting in St. Louis in January. According to reports, the shooting took place during a drug conspiracy.Clark and Sutton were charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The incident occurred on January 28, 2024, during a robbery in an apartment in St. Louis."Charging documents accuse the...
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Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Two Minors
A former St. Charles County youth hockey coach, James R. Lambert, has admitted to sexually abusing two minor victims and recording the abuse. According to the report, Lambert confessed to sexually abusing a minor victim repeatedly over a span of more than a decade, from 2007 to 2018, when the victim was between 6 and 17 years old. The abuse took place in St. Charles County, Missouri, as well as in other states and foreign countries where Lambert took the victim. Lambert also admitted to recording the sexual abuse on multiple occasions.Additionally, Lambert confessed to...
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Missouri Man Admits Setting Fires that Burned 220 Acres
A man from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, identified as Adam D. Gambling, has confessed to setting fires that resulted in the burning of 220 acres of U.S. Forest Service and private land in 2022. Gambling admitted to his actions in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau, where he pleaded guilty to one felony count of setting fires on public land. The fires, which occurred on November 8, 2022, near Beaver Lake in the Mark Twain National Forest in Butler County, affected both public and private properties.According to reports, 95.3 acres of the burned land were privately owned. The...
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St. Louis County Man Admits Shooting at Police
A St. Louis County man, Derek D. Brown, has pleaded guilty to shooting at police and federal task force officers in 2021. Brown, 50, of Jennings, admitted to one count of assault on a federal officer and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. According to the report, Brown went to his wife's daughter's house in St. Louis County to confront his wife, where he took his daughter's .45-caliber pistol. When officers arrived at the scene, Brown began shooting, including at the federal task force officers.Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce is...
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St. Louis County Man Wounded in Drug-Linked Shootout Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
A man involved in a drug-linked shootout in St. Louis County has been sentenced to seven years in prison by U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig. Jeremiah Hill, 21, was selling drugs outside a market in Bellefontaine Road when the incident occurred on Dec. 10, 2021.According to reports, during a dispute over the amount of marijuana sold, Hill brandished a 9mm pistol at the individuals in a vehicle. The situation escalated as one of the men in the vehicle also pulled out a gun, resulting in an exchange of gunfire that left both Hill and the driver injured. ShotSpotter...
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St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Trying to Bribe Postal Workers
A man from St. Louis County has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for attempting to bribe postal workers in exchange for keys to mail collection boxes. Dwaundre K. Valley, 21, of Bridgeton, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official after offering postal carriers money for access to the boxes.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow highlighted the seriousness of Valley's actions, stating that they undermine the public's sense of security and confidence in the postal service. Clow pointed out that such crimes contribute to the rise in mail theft, which is often used...
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Carjacker of Pizza Delivery Driver in St. Louis Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Thursday sentenced a man who carjacked a pizza delivery driver and crashed the stolen vehicle after a police chase to 11 years in prison.According to reports, on July 29, 2022, Jacoby Watts and others carjacked a Domino's Pizza delivery driver in St. Louis, Missouri. A juvenile pointed a gun at the delivery driver and Watts drove the carjacked 2019 Dodge Charger away. Police later tracked the vehicle to East St. Louis. Watts fled, leading police on a chase that ended back in St. Louis when Watts crashed into other vehicles, injuring...
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Missouri Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Recording Child Sexual Abuse
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Matthew A. Prewett, 43, of Kennett, in Dunklin County, to 20 years in prison for his heinous crimes. Prewett engaged in sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl and recorded his actions on video, as well as recorded other children in the shower, ranging from ages 12 to 17.The investigation into Prewett began after the victim's mother discovered sexually suggestive text messages from him on her daughter's phone. Prewett pleaded guilty in November to a felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.Assistant U.S. Attorney...
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Missouri Man Admits Selling Fentanyl to Drug Overdose Victim
A man from Jackson, Missouri, Dylan C. McMikle, 22, has pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl to a 25-year-old Sikeston man who later died of a drug overdose. According to McMikle's plea agreement, the victim snorted several lines of powdered fentanyl provided by McMikle and purchased an additional capsule containing fentanyl before his death on the evening of Dec. 16, 2022.Following the victim's tragic passing, investigators discovered incriminating messages between the victim and McMikle regarding fentanyl. A search of McMikle's home yielded a small baggie of fentanyl...
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Missouri Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison After Fleeing to Asia During Child Pornography Investigation
A Missouri man, Dominic J. Pavia, 42, has been sentenced to seven years in prison by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross after fleeing to Asia during a child pornography investigation. Pavia pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in November. He admitted that an investigation in December 2010 by the Saint Louis County Police Department's Special Investigations Unit uncovered child sexual abuse material on a computer he was using.According to court documents, Pavia, a law school student at the time, was arrested during a court-approved search on April...