A Dumfries, Virginia, man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies as part of a $3.2 million romance fraud scheme. Henry N. Asomani, 35, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ghana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, Aug. 25, to 10 years in […]
Tag: attorneys
Rural Missouri prosecutor: victim tampering “happens everywhere, even in little Johnson County”
Legislation that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering will go to the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on Monday, after being approved by the Judiciary Committee on a 17-0 vote this week. The prosecutor in western Missouri’s Johnson County traveled from Warrensburg to Jefferson City to testify for the bill, saying that witness […]
Audio: Attorney General William Barr announces updates on Operation Legend at press conference in Kansas City
At a press conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Attorney General William P. Barr announced updates on Operation Legend. You can listen to the full press conference in the audio clip below, which runs approximately thirty-three minutes. “Operation LeGend is working,” said U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison in introducing Attorney General Barr. “In just four […]
Tigers for Troops: Helping rural veterans navigate the VA benefits system
Understanding and applying for veterans services can be a challenge, and help can be hard to come by, especially in rural communities. Tigers for Troops, a partnership of University of Missouri Extension and the MU School of Law Veterans Clinic, connects veterans to vital resources through one-on-one consultations by videoconference. It is funded through a […]
St. Louis County prosecutor says no charges against officer in Michael Brown’s death
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr. was shot to death by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Almost six years later, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell announced today his office will not seek charges against Wilson for pulling the trigger. “We made painstaking efforts to look at everything,” Bell says at a press conference. […]
Jury convicts Missouri man of illegal firearm and meth; faces 15 years in prison
A Kansas City, Missouri, man was convicted by a federal jury of illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine. Anthony E. Myers, 39, was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and of possessing methamphetamine. Myers was arrested on April 1, 2018, when Kansas City police officers responded at 1:53 a.m. to […]
Missouri man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor; faces 15-years in prison
A Gainesville, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to coercing and enticing a teenage victim to engage in illicit sexual activity. Tracy Todd Presson, 54, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and to one count of the coercion and enticement […]
Audio: Ten people charged in $1.4 billion billing scheme that includes Putnam County Memorial Hospital
Ten people have been charged in a 1.4 billion dollar rural healthcare billing scheme that includes a northern Missouri hospital. The individuals, including hospital managers, lab owners, and billers, are accused of participating in a scheme using rural hospitals in several states, including Missouri, as billing shells to submit false claims for lab […]
Missouri man sentenced to 27 years in prison for trafficking meth with children present in the home
A Monett, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for trafficking methamphetamine at a home with children present. Victor M. De Santiago, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 27 years and four months in federal prison without parole. On Nov. 21, 2019, De Santiago pleaded guilty to one count of […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegal firearms and methamphetamine trafficking
A Springfield, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Tyler J. Brown, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Wednesday, June 3, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 11, 2019, Brown pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent […]
Missouri Attorney General’s office to partner with U.S. attorneys to prosecute illegal rioters
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office will lend prosecutorial power to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern and Western Districts in prosecuting those who commit acts of violence and rioting in Missouri, including individuals who were charged and arrested by federal authorities over the weekend in St. Louis. Special Assistant United States Attorneys through the […]
Massive raid by Chillicothe Police Department, Livingston County Sheriff and other authorities net many arrests
Many investigations by the Chillicothe Police Department (CPD) and Livingston County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) took a significant step forward with the service of multiple arrest warrants and other investigations. The group enforcement consisted of approximately 40 law enforcement officers from the Chillicothe Police, Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Probation and Parole, […]
Missouri Chamber calls on governor to deal with ‘opportunistic COVID-19 lawsuits’
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants Gov. Mike Parson to call a special session to put an end to “opportunistic COVID-19 lawsuits”. In a press release, the Chamber says coronavirus liability is an emerging problem in Missouri involving those who believe they might have contracted the virus at a business and wants to […]
Walter Barton executed for 1991 murder of southwest Missouri woman; pronounced dead at 6:10 pm
At 6:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, convicted murderer Walter Barton, 64, was pronounced dead at the state prison in southeast Missouri’s Bonne Terre. Barton was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1991 brutal stabbing death of 81-year-old Gladys Kuehler of southwest Missouri’s Ozark. His death makes Missouri the first state in the nation […]
Missouri Governor Mike Parson: Execution of Walter Barton “will move forward as scheduled”
The governor says the execution of a convicted southwest Missouri killer will move forward, clearing the way for Tuesday evening’s scheduled execution in Bonne Terre. Governor Mike Parson told Capitol reporters on Monday in Jefferson City that he hasn’t seen any reason to intervene in Walter Barton’s scheduled execution, saying “that will move forward as […]
Federal Judge issues stay of execution for convicted Missouri killer set to be executed Tuesday
A federal judge has issued a stay of execution in the case of a convicted southwest Missouri killer, who was scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening at the maximum-security prison in Bonne Terre. 64-year-old Walter Barton was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1991 killing of 81-year-old Gladys Kuehler. She managed a mobile home park […]
Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments on overtime pay case for corrections officers
The Missouri Supreme Court heard remote oral arguments on Wednesday in a high-profile case involving the Cole County circuit court’s 2018 decision to award more than $113 million in overtime pay for Missouri corrections officers. It’s a case that’s been working its way through the court system for eight years, and it’s a case that could […]
U.S. Attorney urges the public to report suspected COVID-19 fraud
U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison urges the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the coronavirus) by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline (1-866-720-5721) or writing to the NCDF email address at [email protected]. The Department of Justice is committed to preventing, pursuing, prosecuting, and punishing individuals and businesses that take advantage of […]
Audio: Missouri Representative proposes to clarify controversial bail rules
The state Supreme Court rolled out rules last year saying Missouri judges can only charge bail fees to help ensure that defendants will show up to court or if they pose a danger to others. West Plains State Representative David Evans, a former judge, is proposing to clarify in the rules that judges have the […]
Law enforcement seizures total $5.9 million in 2019 under Missouri’s Criminal Activity Forfeiture Act
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 […]