A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms (2204 pounds) of methamphetamine. Michael B. Becher, 40, Raytown, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. […]
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Three year prison sentence handed down in dogfighting case
A man was sentenced to three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine for possession of an animal in an animal fighting venture. Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, Louisiana pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021. According to court […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with murder for hire case
A Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for attempting to hire an undercover law enforcement agent to murder the victim in a pending statutory sodomy case. Jon Mark Wilson, 58, of Sedalia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on April 5, 2022, to 10 years in federal prison without parole. […]
Department of Justice rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits […]
Hawley rips Biden administration over plans to allocate veteran resources to illegal immigrants
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, expressing deep concern with the administration’s decision to rescind the Title 42 order amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis – with numbers surging at the southern border. Senator Hawley also inquired about disturbing new reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) […]
Former pain management clinic owner sentenced to over 16 years in prison for unlawful opioid distribution
A Florida man was sentenced today in the Southern District of Florida to 200 months in prison for illegally distributing opioids at his pain management clinic in Miami, Florida. According to court documents, Habib Geagea Palacios, 40, of Miami, owned General Care Center Inc., a cash-only pain management clinic in Miami. At General Care, Palacios […]
Promissory note scam allegedly defrauds investors in 35 States
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s Securities Division is seeking a final order from Commissioner David Minnick for $200,000 in civil penalties and other remedies against California-based Until Tomorrow Drivetrains, LLC and Dennis R. Di Ricco. Between December 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, Until Tomorrow Drivetrains, LLC and Di Ricco, with the assistance of an […]
Biden administration to halt pandemic policy blocking migrants who claim asylum
(Missouri Independent) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the government will terminate a Trump-era policy that prevented migrants from claiming asylum during a health crisis, including the coronavirus pandemic. The policy will end on May 23, the CDC wrote in its notice. “There is no longer a serious danger that the […]
Preferred Family Healthcare to pay more than $8 million in fines related to embezzlement, bribery investigation
Springfield, Missouri-based nonprofit Preferred Family Healthcare will pay more than $8 million in forfeiture and restitution to the federal government and the state of Arkansas under the terms of a non-prosecution agreement announced, which acknowledges the criminal conduct of its former officers and employees. “Preferred Family Healthcare must relinquish the illegal profits it garnered from […]
Defendant sentenced to 3 years in prison for multistate dogfighting conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms
A Virginia resident was sentenced today to 37 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to federal charges resulting from a lengthy investigation into a significant multi-state dogfighting conspiracy. According to court documents, Raymond L. Johnson, 41, of Henrico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in an […]
Missouri man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking 100 pounds of meth and illegal firearms
A Missouri man who sold an assault rifle and methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Jacob Michael Richardson, 34, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, March 29, […]
Physician convicted for unlawfully prescribing over 1 million opioid pills in a single year
A physician was convicted for unlawfully prescribing more than one million pills of the opioid hydrocodone. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, James Pierre, 52, a doctor, of Houston, Texas, unlawfully prescribed controlled substances from June 2015 through July 2016 to individuals posing as patients at West Parker Medical Clinic (West […]
Father and son convicted of $1.7 Million COVID-19 relief fraud
A federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina convicted two men for the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.7 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. According to evidence presented during a six-day trial, Izzat […]
Missouri Couple sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually assaulting children and producing child pornography
A Missouri, couple was sentenced in federal court for sexually assaulting two young children to produce child pornography, and for receiving and distributing child pornography. Mark John Millman, 37, a citizen of Great Britain and a legal alien resident, and his wife and co-defendant, Tara Sau Millman, 42, of Merriam Village, were sentenced in separate […]
St. Louis jail inmates file class action lawsuit alleging guards torture them with mace
(Missouri Independent) – Inmates at St. Louis’ primary jail filed a federal class-action lawsuit Tuesday accusing guards of torture with mace and depriving them of water for days. The inmates are represented by a team of attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center, ArchCity Defenders, the SLU Law Legal Clinics, and Rights Behind Bars. “They spray chemical agents […]
Federal correctional officer charged, former prison nurse pleads guilty in bribery and contraband smuggling schemes
A former nurse at Leavenworth Detention Center has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle contraband into the prison, and a federal grand jury in the District of Kansas has returned an indictment charging a former correctional officer with a similar scheme. According to court documents, Jeane Arnette, 61, of Leavenworth, Kansas, previously worked at […]
Arkansas man sentenced to 18 years in a Missouri prison for intent to engage in sexual conduct with a minor
An Arkansas man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. On August 12, 2021, Jerrell West, 32, of Forrest City, Arkansas was found guilty by jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He was sentenced by […]