U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced new legislation to continue to fund and restore the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery so that it can investigate fraud within the Treasury Department’s pandemic programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This anti-fraud legislation comes as the Biden Administration is lobbying for more federal […]
Tag: investigation
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 […]
Fire on Wednesday destroys two buildings in downtown Brookfield
Two downtown Brookfield buildings were among properties destroyed by fire on Wednesday. Joining Brookfield in fighting the blaze were fire departments from Marceline and Chillicothe. The fire was reported around 7:30 am at 305 North Main Street in Brookfield. A space heater is suspected as the cause of the fire. One of the buildings was […]
Missouri woman pleads guilty to methamphetamine conspiracy, faces 10 years in prison
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to her role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after she sold more than three kilograms of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer. Megan M. Massie, 32, Kansas City,, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine […]
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 […]
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 […]
Missouri State Auditor releases 2021 law enforcement federal forfeiture reports
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway has released her office’s compilation of 2021 federal forfeiture reports. Law enforcement agencies that participate in the federal asset forfeiture system must file information regarding federal seizures and proceeds with the State Auditor’s Office. Law enforcement agencies can seize money and property from individuals and organizations involved in illegal activities. […]
Grand jury indicts former Missouri school principal and co-conspirator in murder for hire plot
A federal grand jury indicted Cornelius M. Green and Phillip J. Cutler on March 9, 2022, for conspiracy to commit murder for hire and murder for hire that resulted in the death of Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child in 2016. The indictment alleges that Green and Cutler had a longstanding and close friendship […]
Missouri man charged with producing and distributing child pornography
A Missouri, man has been charged in federal court with producing and distributing child pornography. Andrew J. McCardie, 35, of Farley, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday, March 7, with one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography […]
Missouri fines CAFO, owned by Smithfield Foods, $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste
(Missouri Independent) – Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams. An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled. “You’re talking about a multi-billion […]
Missouri man sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Scott Reinhardt II, age 36, to 25 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the production of child pornography. Reinhardt previously pleaded guilty in December 2021. According to the plea agreement, between the dates of February 1, 2020, and […]
California man pleads guilty to smuggling four kilos of meth aboard bus stopping in Missouri
A Desert Hot Springs, California, man pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling more than four kilograms of methamphetamine from Los Angeles, Calif., to Indianapolis, Indiana aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Missouri. Gary A. Aquerrebere, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent […]
Parson digs in against evidence absolving reporter he accused of being a ‘hacker’
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday once again refused to accept the conclusions of an investigation by the highway patrol and Cole County prosecutor surrounding a reporter who uncovered a security flaw in a state website. Speaking to a gathering of reporters and editors in the governor’s mansion for Missouri Press Association Day, […]
Missouri man sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in carjacking plot
United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Antwan Jones to eight years in federal prison for his role in a carjacking, weapons charges, and assaulting a federal officer. Jones had previously pleaded guilty in November 2021. According to the plea agreement, Jones and his co-defendant stopped their SUV next to the victim on […]
Former Missouri mail carrier facing 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing sports trading cards
A former mail carrier pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing nearly 100 sports trading cards worth thousands of dollars from the mail. Paul O. Robinson, 26, of Richmond, Missouri, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one […]