Federal Bureau of Investigation

Riverfront Times Finalist for Five Awards from National Association of Black Journalists

The National Association of Black Journalists has named five feature stories published last year in Riverfront Times as finalists for its 2013 "Salute to Excellence Awards." The stories are: - Code Dead, freelance writer Christopher Tritto's examination into the encrypted note left on a dead man' ... More >>

Man Puts "Foreign Substance" into Soup at Dierbergs, Police Say (VIDEO)

What's worse -- pee in your water cooler or a "foreign substance" in your soup? In Missouri, you apparently can try both! After last week's news that a high school girls basketball team allegedly poured urine into a rival team's water cooler, we have another similar crime story that is potentially ... More >>

Top Ten Strangest Missouri Bandits: Mr. Polite, Spider-Man, Granddad and More! (PHOTOS)

This week, St. Louis County police charged a Fenton woman who allegedly walked into a smoke shop with a knife, asked for cash -- and then settled on a measly $7.50 in tip jar coins. Not really worth all the trouble, if you ask us. But the bizarre incident got us thinking about the craziest bandits i ... More >>

Assistant Police Chief in Centreville Indicted for Lying to Feds About Selling Gun to a Felon

Centreville Police Assistant Chief Corey Allen, age 31, was indicted today for lying to the FBI about whether or not he sold a gun to a known felon. (According to his Facebook page, Allen also owns a carwash in Alorton and plays sax around the area in the band, "Music Unlimited." A page on MySpace e ... More >>

Muslim Hunting: David Horowitz has made taunting college students a spectator sport. Sometimes he's actually right.

Video: The Ricky McCormick Codes Explained

This week's Riverfront Times feature story, "Code Dead," examines the encrypted messages discovered a decade ago on the body of Ricky McCormick and why the FBI's foremost code-breakers remained stymied by the ciphers. In the following video, expert cryptographer Elonka Dunin walks author Christopher ... More >>

Richard Ambler: Parkway Substitute Teacher Facing Child Porn Charges

Florissant man Richard Ambler, 49, a substitute teacher in the Parkway school district, has been indicted on one charge of possessing child pornography. According to the affidavit, Ambler told investigators he believes he has more than 1,000 images and videos.

Martin Sigillito, Alleged Ponzi Schemer, Defends Himself by Blaming Whistleblowing Secretary

​Martin Sigillito, a Clayton attorney and American Anglican bishop accused of running a $66 million Ponzi scheme, is now defending himself at his federal trial by blaming the secretary who blew the whistle on him. (See our original feature that broke the story and follow-ups). The secretary, Liz S ... More >>

The Eight Most Eyebrow-Raising Elements of the Megaupload Shutdown

This FBI notice is all the content that remains on the now-shuttered Megaupload.com domain.​SOPA and PIPA have been the talk of the internet for weeks, if not months now. Several major websites blacked out their content in opposition to the controversial bills this past Wednesday. On Thursday, ... More >>

When federal investigators busted Jeffrey Greenwell outside St. Louis, they hit the kiddie-porn jackpot

Ohio Affidavit Paints Rough Image of Kiddie Porn "Lost Boy" Member "mr bean"

​Led by the Los Angeles Division of the FBI, the 2009 dismantling of the members-only, password-protected online child pornography network known as "Lost Boy" resulted in the indictments of 19 Americans and fourteen defendants abroad, marking, at that time, the most significant federal crackdo ... More >>

Lost Boy Child Pornography Case: Court Documents

​The Los Angeles-led FBI investigation into the online child pornography group known as "Lost Boy" resulted in the indictments of 19 Americans and fourteen defendants abroad. The men were charged collectively for running a child exploitation enterprise, among other crimes. The investigation, a ... More >>

Sexiest Shemale Bank Robber Contest! Cast Your Vote Today!

Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm. I'm just your typical bank patron. Nothing to see here as I talk on my cellphone with my knockoff Coach handbag, my hoop earrings and fabulous wavy wig. Pink sweat pants? Yeah, I got 'em. I also got a gun in my purse, so hand over all your money, motherfudgy!​The FBI is on the lo ... More >>

St. Louis Does Guided by Voices: A Salty Salute

​On Thanksgiving evening, after all of the turkey, pie and Pepto-Bismol, a group of local musicians will gather at Off Broadway to pay tribute to one of the most influential rock bands of the past two decades: Guided by Voices. The show will feature Bunnygrunt, Karate Bikini, Popular Mechanics ... More >>

Hey Missouri Snitches: Hacktivists Say They Know Your Name

Just weeks after targeting St. Louis-based Monsanto, hacktivists affiliated with the online troublemaker group, Anonymous, are boasting of a new feat. This time, they claim to have stolen tons of data -- including identities of confidential informants -- from more than 70 law enforcement computer ne ... More >>

U.S. Attorney: Feds Could Challenge Missouri Anti-Sharia Legislation

Muslim women take part in the Pledge of Allegiance during last night's event​U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Richard Callahan visited the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis last night to address the fears and frustrations of Muslim Americans who worry they are being rac ... More >>

St. Louis Bank Robberies Have Doubled So Far This Year

www.bandittrackerstlouis.comMcBurglar: "super-size that bundle for me, please."​Three and a half months into the year, there have already been 24 bank robberies in the St. Louis area -- more than double the number of robberies by this point last year. (The number doesn't include Illinois count ... More >>

Jeff Smith Hits National Stage Yet Again On MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show

Had your fill of former state senator Jeff Smith? Good, 'cause he's everywhere! Since getting released from federal prison last November after fibbing to the FBI about his 2004 congressional campaign, "Mr. Smith" has hit the national stage: The New Republic did a bang-up feature on him (though we th ... More >>

John Wesley Jones: Guilty Plea Reveals New Details in ATM Solutions Robbery

St. Louis Metropolitan Police DepartmentJohn Wesley Jones​ John Wesley Jones appeared in court this afternoon to enter guilty pleas to armed robbery and related firearms charges in a record money heist last summer in St. Louis. According to court documents, in the early morning of August 2, four ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Reader Questions Claims Made Against Science Center

Today's comment comes in response to last Friday's post, "Science Center's Cataloging Problems Spread to Art Museum."From "STL Neighbor": "Instead of spending so much time obsessing about those roadside souvenirs you claim are so valuable, spend some time learning the English language (its vary no ... More >>

"Granddad Bandit" Captured: Accused of St. Louis Bank Robbery, 24 More Nationwide

FBIMara at a south county Regions Bank back in May.​Michael Francis Mara, a.k.a. the "Granddad Bandit" due to his balding gray dome and somewhat elderly appearance, was arrested yesterday in his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mara, 52, is accused of robbing 25 banks in 13 states since January ... More >>

Vote for Ass Clown of the Week!

​Time for Daily RFT's Ass Clown of the Week. Whose words or actions brought them the most public humiliation this week? 1. John Wesley Jones: One of the suspected ATM Solutions' bandits who stole as much as $11-million on Monday and could have gotten away with it if he wasn't seen by police on Tue ... More >>

White Collar Crime: Anglican bishop Martin Sigillito is accused of fleecing regular Joes and Racquet Club jet setters alike out of $45 million

Ring, Ring, Ring, Blago-phone: Blagojevich Ringtones for the Taking

Image via "I've got this thing and it's (expletive) golden. And I'm just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing."​Look, friends, maybe it's time to admit it: We all have kind of a lot in common with impeached-and-disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. We don't get to spend enough time w ... More >>

Walter D. Hill: Former East St. Louis Official Guilty of Extorting Cash, Sex and Liquor from Bar Owners

Image sourceStep one: Become Deputy Liquor Commissioner in East St. Louis​Last May, East St. Louis mayor Alvin Parks called an "emergency town-hall meeting" to discuss the issue of late night violence at the city's nightclubs and a federal corruption investigation into his administration that culm ... More >>

The Killer of His Daughter's Mother

A cunning American boy becomes a Mexican cartel soldier and East LA executioner

Exonerated: Steven Spielberg's Art Dealer in Case of Rockwell Painting Stolen from St. Louis

Rockwell's Russian Schoolroom disappeared during a 1973 gallery heist in St. Louis.​Daily RFT spoke to a very elated Judy Cutler on Friday as the Rhode Island-based art dealer made her way back east from a Las Vegas courtroom. For the past three years Cutler and her husband, Laurence, have been in ... More >>

Opening MLK's FBI Files Could Bolster John Larry Ray's Version of Assassination

​As early as next week, legislation could be introduced to make public thousands of FBI documents relating to the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps more importantly, the legislation, spearheaded by U.S. Senator John Kerry, will also bring to public view all records associated ... More >>

Canadian Who Flew Stolen Plane to Missouri Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

Adam Dylan Leon​Remember the case of Adam Dylan Leon? Back in April, the 31-year-old stole a Cessna from his flight school in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and piloted the aircraft into the United States airspace. Leon's flight scared the bejesus out of the Department of Defense, which tracked the plane w ... More >>

No Exclamation Point Necessary: The Informant! gets cute with massive corporate scandal and blows the story

Founder of BetonSports Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Forfeits $43 Million to Government

​Gary Stephen Kaplan, the subject of a Riverfront Times investigation in '07, has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges of fraud for running an illegal offshore sports wagering business.As part of a complex plea agreement, Kaplan, 50, entered pleas of guilty to charges of conspiracy to violat ... More >>

Former St. Louis Cop Pleads Guilty to Involvement in Towing Scandal

​Former St. Louis police detective Kevin Shade has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection with falsifying inspections for S&H Parking Systems.According to the facts filed with the court, between October 2004 and August 2008, Shade passed vehicles for inspection despite obvious flaws, and t ... More >>

Final Member of "Takeover" Bank Robbery Gang Arrested in St. Louis

A 25-year-old man, part of a five-member group, was arrested in a home this morning in St. Louis for allegedly "taking over" several St. Louis banks in April and May.Cortez Adams is one of three brothers in the five-member group. John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the the St. Louis Division ... More >>

Sneakeasy, Part 1: Public Enemies and Wei Hong Bakery

Fernando de Sousa, Wikimedia Commons Show: Public Enemies, director Michael Mann's latest cinematic man-crush on tight-lipped inscrutability and sparklingly pretty violence played out against the backdrop of the Great Depression.Food: Chinese food, courtesy of Wei Hong Bakery and Restaurant: crab ra ... More >>

RFT Feature Presentation: East St. Louis Nightclubs Under Siege

Jennifer Silverberg Club Casino owner Cedric Taylor stands in front of his nightclub on State Street in East St. LouisOn March 19, leaders from across the metro east gathered at a news conference and demanded that East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks -- also the city's liquor commissioner -- mak ... More >>

Sprint Through the Human Race

See yourself in a new skin

Unreal goes gun shopping in Lemay and checks in with a south-city blogger

7-Up vs. Coke, Part 1: From dot-com darling to disaster, the spectacular flameout of Andrew Gladney. Heir to a fortune, Andrew Gladney went from John Burroughs to Yale and came home to found Savvis Inc. Then he squandered it all.

You Kill Me

Following Untraceable's lame-brained argument, we're all to blame for this massively dumb movie.

Have They No Shame? Part 2

Have They No Shame? Part 2

Irons in the Fire (Again)

The legendary ex-Vashon High School basketball coach may be in trouble with the FBI.

You Could Beat Einstein on Jeopardy!

The Ashcroft Rap

A Trip to Europe

Via your ears

Pornucopia

The adult-entertainment industry descends upon Left Bank Books!

Series/Festivals

Week of March 19, 2003

Flesh for Fantasy

Brett Ratner tarts up Red Dragon

Tainted Evidence

Curtain Call makes the best of a bad situation in its production of Clue, based on the board game

Hack Mentality

At 28, Spuds has become a cybersage for the young and the reckless. Now he's gone straight.