A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for using Snapchat to contact 12- and 13-year-old girls in Canada to induce them to engage in sexually explicit behavior. Michael David Miller, 40, of Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On June 2, 2020, […]
Tag: federal court
Missouri man pleads guilty to illegal firearms following armed standoff with police officers
A Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a firearm following a brief armed standoff with police officers and a foot chase. Michael D. Moore, 31, of Kansas City pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Moore was arrested on Monday, […]
Missouri corrections officer charged with taking bribes to smuggle illegal drugs to inmates
A corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Center was charged in federal court for taking bribes to smuggle illegal drugs to inmates of the facility. Daniel Coach, 26, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. The complaint charges Coach with one count of using a […]
Missouri man connected to drive-by shooting sentenced to 5-years in prison
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing several firearms, including the firearm used in a drive-by shooting. Eric L. Harper, 28, Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to five years and six months- in federal prison without parole. The sentence reflects an upward variance from the […]
Registered Missouri sex offender sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for child pornography
A registered sex offender in Raytown, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court for receiving child pornography over the internet. Joseph L. Smith, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Smith to spend the rest of his life on supervised release […]
Safer Streets Initiative leads to over 500 charges in first two years
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that, to date, his Safer Streets Initiative, which was launched in early 2019, has resulted in 516 charges against 289 defendants across the state. Additionally, 356 firearms have been taken off the streets as a result of the initiative. “Since taking office, prosecuting violent crime in Missouri’s major […]
Mexican national sentenced to 8-years in prison for illegal firearm used in drive-by shooting
A Mexican national was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearm he used in a drive-by shooting. Javier Guerrero-Garcia, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to eight years and six months in federal prison without parole. On June 29, 2020, Guerrero-Garcia pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession […]
Missouri woman charged in federal court with bank robbery
A Missouri woman was charged in federal court with the armed robbery of a Capitol Federal Savings Bank located in Liberty, Missouri. Sarah Theresa Watkins, 41, of Kansas City, was charged with one count of armed bank robbery in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. The criminal complaint […]
Missouri business owner sentenced to prison for committing arson against rival business and residence
An Independence, Missouri, business owner has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to commit arson against a rival business as well as a residence, and for illegally possessing a firearm. William “Bill” Joseph Reneau, 44, of Overland Park, Kansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Tuesday, Feb. […]
Missouri man sentenced to 4-years without parole for illegal firearm and making threatening phone call to airport
A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm and for making a threatening phone call that caused disruption at the Springfield National Airport. Dustin B. Gowens, 39, of Springfield was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to four years in federal prison without parole. On Feb. 22, 2020, […]
Missouri man sentenced to 20-years without parole for drug trafficking crack cocaine
A Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court for distributing crack cocaine. Jeffery Wayne Taylor, 55, of Sedalia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On July 6, 2020, Taylor was convicted at a bench trial of two counts of distributing crack cocaine and one […]
Missouri woman sentenced to 17-years in prison without parole for meth conspiracy and Illegal Firearms
A Missouri, woman was sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy that distributed more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in a three-county area. Christina E. Gauger, 39, of Springfield, Missouri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Law enforcement officers seized a total of […]
Missouri man sentenced to 14-years without parole for meth trafficking following high-speed police chase
A Cuba, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking following a high-speed police chase. Shannon L. Brim, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Monday, Jan. 25, to 14 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 20, 2020, Brim pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine […]
Hawley wants an ethics probe of U.S. Senate Democrats who filed complaint against him
(Missouri Independent) – Seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s ethics panel last week to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol. Now Hawley is calling for an ethics probe of the Democrats. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. […]
Former KC Fire Department captain sentenced to six years in prison for illegally selling firearms to felons
A former captain in the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department was sentenced in federal court for illegally selling dozens of firearms over a five-year period, and to selling firearms to convicted felons. James Samuels, 55, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to six years in federal prison without […]
Owner of online Payday Loan Company pleads guilty to bankruptcy fraud
A Mission Hills, Kansas, man pleaded guilty in federal court to a bankruptcy fraud scheme related to his online payday loan company. Del H. Kimball, 53, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of bankruptcy fraud. By pleading guilty, Kimball admitted that […]
Public interest groups sue EPA for re-approving controversial herbicide dicamba
Public-interest groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over the agency’s re-approval of products containing dicamba, a herbicide controversial for its tendency to drift into neighboring fields and damage farmers’ crops and homeowners’ gardens. Last fall, the EPA green-lighted dicamba use for five years, the third time the agency registered dicamba products. George Kimbrell, legal director at […]
Two off-duty Virginia police officers charged in Federal Court following events at the U.S. Capitol
Two off-duty Rocky Mount, Virginia police officers, were charged in federal court in the District of Columbia in connection with the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson were charged by complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without […]
Missouri man sentenced to 12-years in federal prison for meth trafficking, illegal firearm
A Missouri, a man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing a firearm. Ladd E. Callen, 50, Rolla, Missouri was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Sept. 25, 2020, Callen pleaded guilty to […]