Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has announced that Missouri has joined a bipartisan, multistate investigation of JUUL Labs. The 39-state multistate coalition is investigating JUUL’s marketing and sales practices, including the targeting of youth, and more. “Ensuring that Missourians, especially our kids and teenagers, are protected is an integral part of my job as Attorney […]
The third batch of untested sexual assault kits identified by Missouri Attorney General Schmitt’s SAFE Kits Initiative inventory have been delivered to a private lab for testing. The kits were gathered at the St. Joseph Police Department as a “host agency” and sent directly to the private lab to preserve the chain of custody and […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a compilation of property seizures made under Missouri’s Criminal Activity Forfeiture Act (CAFA) in 2019. The Auditor’s report shows law enforcement officials seized an estimated $5.9 million worth of property in 493 seizures. Those were decreases from 2018 when law enforcement officials seized approximately $9.1 million worth of […]
A retired Roman Catholic priest from southern Missouri is now charged with four sex-related felonies in southeast Missouri’s Stoddard County, involving alleged sexual abuse of minors. Missourinet’s Cape Girardeau television partner KFVS reports 76-year-old Frederick Joseph Lutz was arrested Wednesday morning in Springfield, where he now lives. Stoddard County Prosecutor Russell Oliver has charged Lutz […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against Martin Management, a timeshare exit company formerly located in Springfield, Missouri, and its owner Steve Martin. The lawsuit, filed in Platte County can be found by clicking here. The lawsuit alleges that Martin Management employees, at the direction of Steve Martin, […]
United States Attorney Tim Garrison praised the cooperation of state and local law enforcement agencies in the Western District of Missouri today, as U.S. Attorney General William Barr addressed the problem of sanctuary cities elsewhere in the nation. “We appreciate the cooperation in this district among state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies,” said Garrison. […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released a report that looked into whether former Attorney General Josh Hawley used state resources for political purposes. The review determined that coordination between political campaign consultants and Attorney General staff gave an appearance of impropriety, and the Attorney General used a state vehicle for political and potentially personal purposes. This […]
Three men were charged in federal court for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after federal agents seized 14 kilograms of methamphetamine. Jose Alvarado, 26, Victor Gomez-Rendon, 28, and Enrique Antonio Herrera-Saucedo, 21, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri. The federal criminal complaint alleges that […]
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of the 45th Circuit Court in Lincoln County. The audit questioned purchases and phone reimbursements under the former clerk and detailed errors made in the disbursement of municipal fine receipts under the current clerk. “Courts should operate efficiently, effectively and fairly, and this audit makes recommendations […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is warning Missourians about a recent increase in robocalls purporting to be a Medicare representative. The robocall then states that the person receiving the call is eligible for the top of the line medical braces, and that to receive those braces they should press “1” or press “9” to be […]
A former executive of a northern Missouri hospital pleaded guilty in federal court in Florida to a $114 million pass-through billing scheme. The Justice Department in Washington says former Putnam County Memorial Hospital chief executive officer David Lane Byrns pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Byrns pleaded […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt presented the inaugural “Back the Blue” award to North County Police Cooperative Officer Michael Langsdorf posthumously. Langsdorf was shot and killed when he responded to a call at Clay’s Wellston Food Market in late June. Members of Officer Langsdorf’s family were present to accept the award. Also in attendance were […]
State leaders will soon have a better grasp of the magnitude of Missouri’s backlog of untested sexual assault kits. With funding from a $2.8 million federal grant, the Missouri attorney general’s SAFE Kit Initiative is expected to complete its inventory of untested rape kits in the next couple of weeks. Matthew Huffman, public affairs director […]
Missouri’s attorney general warns that scams targeting seniors are increasing, including the “IRS scam” and sweepstakes scams. Eric Schmitt spoke to dozens of seniors Wednesday (yesterday) at a Jefferson City retirement community, urging them to be on the lookout. Schmitt urges seniors and other Missourians to report these scams to his office’s Consumer […]
The attorney general’s office has convinced a Jasper County jury in southwest Missouri that an 86-year-old former minister is still at risk of sexually abusing teenage boys. That’s even after he completed a 15-year prison sentence for the abuse. The unanimous verdict determined that Donald D. Peckham is a sexually violent predator who […]
Two former corrections officers at the Jackson County Detention Center have been convicted by a federal jury of physically assaulting an inmate in violation of his constitutional protection against unreasonable force. “These corrections officers abused their authority by physically assaulting an inmate,” said U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison. “Our Constitution protects every citizen from the use […]
Donna Dixon has pled guilty to one count of class C felony Medicaid Fraud in the Circuit Court of Jackson County. Dixon was a licensed professional counselor in the Kansas City area. Dixon repeatedly billed Medicaid for counseling services that she claimed to provide to children in between Fall 2016 and Summer 2017. The […]
The Missouri Supreme Court is deciding whether voters without a photo ID must sign a statement at the polls swearing they are who they say they are. The state is challenging Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan calling the language contradictory and misleading and ruling last year to get rid of the requirement. In Thursday’s […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is issuing a consumer alert to warn Missouri citizens about a potential scam targeting elderly and vulnerable citizens. Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri has reported hundreds of calls from citizens across Missouri and the country who claim to have received calls from the court’s […]
The Missouri Highway Patrol recently made a change with its online crash reports to OMIT names of minors involved in traffic accidents. The patrols’ public information officer, Captain John Hotz, explained the change occurred after a review of the highway patrol policies, procedures, and general orders. Based on what he called advancements in technology and […]
