U.S. Attorney's Office

St. Louis Priest Father William Vatterott Indicted on Child Pornography Charge

William Vatterott, a Roman Catholic priest from St. Louis, was indicted yesterday on a federal child pornography charge -- and could ultimately face ten years in prison and fines of up to $25,000. Vatterott, 36, will appear in federal court later this week or early next week to respond to the indi ... More >>

Darran Kelley: Fire Chief Adds to List of Indicted Kinloch Officials

Two years after its mayor was sentenced for embezzling funds, the fire chief for Kinloch now faces similar allegations. Darran Kelley, the chief of the Kinloch Fire Protection District, was arrested yesterday and charged with three felony counts of wire fraud, one felony count of federal program t ... More >>

Guns: Bruce Humphrey of St. Louis Gets Seven Years On Federal Illegal Weapons Charges

Bruce Humphrey, a St. Louis resident, was sentenced today to 92 months behind bars on federal charges of illegal firearm possession. The decision comes at a time of intense debate in Missouri around gun laws, gun rights -- and how gun crimes are prosecuted. In this federal case, it seems Humphre ... More >>

Tammy Baggio Accused of Really Elaborate Sam's Club Theft Scheme In Seven States

It would appear that Tammy Baggio, 39, had a pretty clever scheme to make money off of Sam's Club stores throughout the Midwest, involving switched containers, pet products and eBay. It was, however, not quite clever enough to last very long. So say the federal authorities that have formally accus ... More >>

Nancy O'Donnell, Catholic Nonprofit Treasurer, Sentenced For Embezzling Donated Funds

Here's one way to completely ignore the misson of your church organization, courtesy of Nancy O'Donnnell, once a Missouri nonprofit treasurer who made a series of very un-churchy decisions. Instead of helping St. Vincent de Paul Society with its objectives of "providing personal assistance with furn ... More >>

Cop Ganks Dank, Feds Spank

​Here's why your package from Humboldt didn't arrive in time for Christmas: Sergeant Larry J. Davis of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department enjoys his job so much that he allegedly took work home with him on a regular basis. Davis is assigned to the Central Patrol Division-Special Operatio ... More >>

Salmonella Outbreak Brings Down Egg Mogul

​Yesterday, Gut Check related news of one disgraced egg supplier, Sparboe Farms. An activist group covertly videotaped Sparboe employees mistreating and even killing chickens under their care. McDonald's and Target have since dumped Sparboe as a supplier.Today, we return to 2010's disgraced egg su ... More >>

Metro East Official Charged With Hate Crime

​Kevin T. Malone is facing several levels of embarrassment these days. A few of the (alleged) reasons: 1. As a 51-year-old man, he picked a fight with a 14-year-old boy. 2. As a 51-year-old elected official, he picked a fight with a 14-year-old boy. 3. As a 51-year-old elected official, he pi ... More >>

Bad Karma: Towing Crook Robbed Outside Town & Country Home

​Perhaps the robbers were disgruntled former employees. Maybe their cars had been illegally impounded by the rogue towing company. Maybe they just follow the newspapers and target victims who are known to keep wads of loose cash on hand. Whatever the reason, you can't ignore the poetic justic ... More >>

U.S. Attorney Moves to Revoke Bond for Kinloch Mayor Keith Conway

Keith Conway could find himself in jail after prosecutors say he violated the terms of his pre-trial release.​That was fast.Just three days after Kinloch Mayor Keith Conway was charged with stealing from his city and released on a $25,000 bond, the U.S. Attorney's Office is urging the judge to rev ... More >>

Former Goodwill Exec Ronald Partee Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison

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Douglas Morgan: Former Chairman of St. Louis County Planning Commission Indicted for Fraud

Missouri Employers MutualDouglas Morgan​The United States Attorney's Office announced today that a grand jury has indicted Douglas Morgan on a bank fraud charge, involving a series of loans obtained through Commercial Bank of St. Louis. Morgan, the long serving chairman of the St. Louis County ... More >>

Aaron Johnson: Man Threatens To "Blow Up" St. Louis IRS Facility Prior to Tax Day

Think you hate paying taxes? You don't hold a candle to Aaron Johnson of St. Louis County. Yesterday the 20-year-old Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court to calling an IRS facility in south St. Louis County and threatening to "blow it up." According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the threat was m ... More >>

Camp Zoe Update: Bank Tells Feds to Get Lost

Jimmy Tebeau: Even if the government doesn't get his land, the bank might.​It's been awhile since we checked in on the case against Jimmy Tebeau's Camp Zoe, subject of our earlier feature, "Shakedown."And, it turns out, there's an interesting new wrinkle: The feds aren't the only people laying cla ... More >>

Second Round of Indictments for Locksmith Company Accused of Defrauding Missourians

Pinella County Sheriff via Angie's ListDavid Peer and Moshe Aharoni accused of defrauding Missourians.​The U.S. Attorney's Office of Eastern Missouri last week handed down another round of indictments last week against Dependable Locks, a Florida-based locksmith accused of extorting customers in M ... More >>

Janae Helgerson: Owner of Mid-West Egg Donation Indicted for Fraud

Feds allege she promised thousands of dollars to egg donors but didn't pay.​An Idaho woman has been indicted on charges of defrauding egg donors in the St. Louis area and elsewhere. Her alleged victims had eggs harvested from their bodies and didn't receive the cash they'd been promised.Janae Helg ... More >>

St. Louis Quick Shop Owner and Manager Plead Guilty to Food-Stamp Scam

T.R. Corner Store at 3935 S. Grand​The owner of two St. Louis convenience stores and one of his managers pleaded guilty this week to a food-stamp scam that defrauded the government of $400,000. According to federal authorities, James Norvell Fitch Jr. of Florissant operated T.R. Corner Store on So ... More >>

The top ten St. Louis music news stories in 2010

Top Ten St. Louis Music News Stories of 2010

Wikimedia Commons​As the old saying goes, no news is good news. However, no local news makes for a rather-boring music section - or music blog, as the case may be. If you aren't a regular visitor to this here music blog, definitely become one: We compile breaking news, show reviews and local t ... More >>

KWMU Legal Roundtable Discusses Camp Zoe Seizure

The Missouri Constitution may bar the feds from seizing musician Jimmy Tebeau's real property, a think-talk lawyer told St. Louis Public Radio yesterday.​We here at Daily RFT sometimes feel like voices crying in the wilderness as we question the feds' attempts to seize Camp Zoe -- the 350-acre far ... More >>

Camp Zoe Seizure Discussed on KWMU

The Missouri Constitution may bar the feds from seizing musician Jimmy Tebeau's real property, a think-talk lawyer told St. Louis Public Radio yesterday.​We here at A to Z sometimes feel like voices crying in the wilderness as we question the feds' attempts to seize Camp Zoe -- the 350-acre farm i ... More >>

How Easy Is It to Get Into Webster University? Inmate Gets 23 Bogus Students Accepted Via Internet

Suddenly worth a lot less.​Yes, Webster University is a fine school. It's nothing like University of Phoenix and other so-called "diploma mills." Webster U. has standards. It rigorously screens its students and selects only the best and brightest. [Insert sound of record scratching here.] Yesterda ... More >>

Kurtis Neely: Former Track Coach at St. Joseph Academy Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Child Porn

The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that Kurtis W. Neely, a former girls track coach at St. Joseph's Academy in Frontenac, pleaded guilty in court in Kansas City today to attempting to receive child pornography over the Internet. Kurtis, 32, who now resides the western Missouri town of Raymore, admi ... More >>

Owners of S&H Parking Get Year and Day in Prison, Ordered to Repay Thousands

The sibling owners of S&H Parking implicated in a St. Louis police scandal alleging payoffs and corruption were sentenced today in federal court. William Bialczak received a 366-day prison sentence and ordered to pay $370,185 in restitution in addition to a $100,000 fine. His brother, Kenneth ... More >>

ATM Solutions Robbery Adds a Kidnapping: Relatives of Suspect Held for Ransom

A record heist. A jail break. And now a kidnapping? Who says sequels are never as good as the original?​The FBI announced today that two teenage girls believed to be related to one of the suspects in August's multi-million robbery of ATM Solutions were kidnapped and held for ransom this week. Four ... More >>

Camp Zoe, Site of Schwagstock, Facing Seizure After Drug Investigation

Image via CampZoe.comA snapshot of the Schwagstock crowd.​The DEA, Missouri State Highway Patrol and U.S. Attorney's Office are trying to seize Camp Zoe, a 350-acre campground in central Missouri that hosts the music gathering Schwagstock -- after a four-year-long investigation allegedly uncovered ... More >>

Camp Zoe, Site of Schwagstock, Facing Seizure After Drug Investigation

Image via CampZoe.comA snapshot of the Schwagstock crowd.​The DEA, Missouri State Highway Patrol and U.S. Attorney's Office are trying to seize Camp Zoe, a 350-acre campground in central Missouri that hosts the music gathering Schwagstock -- after a four-year-long investigation allegedly uncovere ... More >>

Latunya Wright and Annkesha Welch: Latest Suspects Indicted for ATM Solutions Robbery

Prosecutors say Ms. Wright done wrong, may have to forfeit her Hummer.​The United States Attorney's Office announced this afternoon that a grand jury has indicted two St. Louis area women in connection with the armed robbery of ATM Solutions that netted thieves several million dollars in cash. Acc ... More >>

Bialczak Brothers Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion Involving Police Towing Scandal

William Bialczak and his brother Kenneth Bialczak both pleaded guilty yesterday to two felony counts of tax evasion for their role in a towing scandal that rocked the St. Louis police department two years ago and led to the resignation of chief Joe Mokwa.  The United States Attorney's Office c ... More >>

Five More Dogfighters Plead Guilty in Southern Illinois

Illustration by Brian Stauffer​The largest dogfighting bust in U.S. history just got a little bigger, at least in terms of the number of defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with the case -- which was the subject of an RFT feature story earlier this month.The southern Illinois U.S. Att ... More >>

Bishop Sigillito's Lawyers Blast Government Tactics as "Illegal" and "Frightening"

Click here to read the filing!​Clayton attorney and American Anglican bishop Marty Sigillito stands accused in civil court of running a $45 million Ponzi scheme. He's currently under federal investigation. See our feature, "White Collar Crime." Bishop Marty Sigillito wants his stuff back. The fed ... More >>

John Steffen: Owner of Pyramid Construction Indicted for Fraud

One of the St. Louis' biggest downtown developers of the past decade was indicted this morning on federal fraud charges.georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.govJohn Steffen (left) and fellow St. Louis developer Craig Heller receive a preservation award from Laura Bush in May 2007.​The United States Att ... More >>

Serious Weight: Dealer Sentenced for Moving 8.5 Tons of Pot Over 5 Years

So, exactly how much is 8.5 tons of pot? Obligatory photograph of pot.Answer: 17,000 pounds or 7,711 kilograms or 103 Michael Phelpses or 38,555 copies of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon or 453,592 Twinkies or 131,949 White Castle Sliders. That's how much mary jane an East St. Louis drug de ... More >>

Ethan Avalos: Shoe Salesman Charged with Extortion Involving Prostitute

Perhaps Avalos should've studied up beforehand.​You are luckier than Tiger you were given the chance to have your big mistake kept away from your  wife/media/practice. -- Alleged email from Ethan Mikeal Avalos, to the man he was extorting.The United States Attorney's Office yesterday indicte ... More >>

The Deer Commander is Officially Off the Hook

A screen capture of Jarrod Lee Hayn and his handiwork on stltoday.com ​In the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that overturned a federal law outlawing depictions of animal cruelty, the U.S. Attorney's Office has dropped all charges against Jarrod Lee Hayn, the Illinois man who filmed himself running ... More >>

Tessa Van Vlerah: Case Against Sexually Abusive Mother Gets More Disgusting

Van Vlerah: You think her mugshot is gross? Wait 'til you read how she spends her freetime. ​You know her. You despise her and, unfortunately for all of us, she just won't go away. The woman Daily RFT readers overwhelming elected Ass Clown of the Week following the recent revelation that she alleg ... More >>

Joseph Van Gronigen: Indicted for Embezzling From Maker of Zhu Zhu Pets

Mr. Squiggles had been a chief suspect prior to today's indictment.​Evidently there's another rodent at play at St. Louis-based Cepia LLC, and it ain't a motorized hamster. No, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a rat has been embezzling money from the maker of the incredibly popular Zhu Zhu ... More >>

St. Louis Cop Avoids Jail Time in Corruption Case

Brezill will be able to play Wii on probation!​A rookie St. Louis cop was spared jail time today for stealing electronics from an arrestee -- who happened to be carting the loot around as part of her "work" as an informant for the feds. U.S. District Judge Donald Stohr today sentenced 25-year-old ... More >>

Joe Washington of Northeast Ambulance & Fire District Sentenced for Clean Air Violations

Joe Washington​The former chief of the Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District was sentenced today to one year of probation for violating the Clean Air Act.Joe Washington pleaded guilty in December for violating EPA regulations when he had asbestos removed last year from the fire distri ... More >>

Photo O' The Day: Bribery 101 in the Office of Former Missouri State Rep. T.D. El-Amin

Don't get caught on camera!U.S. District Court/U.S. Attorney's OfficeAnd the hand is out! T.D. El-Amin about to accept a payola.​ At yesterday's sentencing of former state representative T.D. El-Amin, the U.S. Attorney's Office presented several photo exhibits. For emphasis.Yes, there're more.&nbs ... More >>

Jail Time for Former State Representative Talibdin "T.D." El-Amin

El-Amin gave up his seat in the state legislature after being charged with bribery last fall. ​U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey is sending T.D. El-Amin away for eighteen months on a bribery charge. Advisory sentencing guidelines had called for between eighteen and 24 months.In addition to the pris ... More >>

The Justice System is On Crack

Image Via​In the '80s, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin thought he was leading the charge in the war on drugs. He advocated significantly stiffer sentences for possession of crack than for powder cocaine -- to the point that, to this day, it still takes 100 times as much powdered booger sugar to trigg ... More >>

St. Louis Priest Federally Indicted for Allegedly Trying to Mack On a Teenage Girl

Wikimedia CommonsTime for confession?​A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted the Rev. James Grady for sex trafficking, enticement of children and possession of child pornography.  Grady was arrested this past summer during an FBI and Maryland Heights Police Department sting. According to t ... More >>

BETonSPORTS Founder Gary Kaplan Gets to Stay in the Clinker

​U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson has sentenced Gary Kaplan to 51 months in prison. It was the maximum sentence allowed for under a complicated plea agreement that his lawyer struck with federal prosecutors. The millionaire founder of the now-defunct offshore gambling operation known as BETonSPOR ... More >>

Clarification: Biggest Winners in the BETonSPORTS Case are U.S. Taxpayers, Not Bettors

​Earlier this week Daily RFT reported that bettors could begin laying claim to their piece of the $43.65 million in online gambling proceeds that Gary Kaplan, founder of the now-defunct BETonSPORTS, has forfeited to the U.S. government. Steve Holtshouser, the federal prosecutor handling Kaplan's c ... More >>

Accused Drug Dealer from Rural Missouri Lived Life Like Episode of Miami Vice

Where were you guys?​The only characters missing from a drug case made public yesterday in federal court in St. Louis were detectives James Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.  According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Daniel Bryan Webster, a car dealer from Stanton, Missouri, (approximately 60 miles ... More >>

Last Week's Most Popular Daily RFT Posts, July 20-26

G'morning! If you're just not ready to unclench the weekend from your grip, rewind with these highlights from last week on the Daily RFT, the top-ten most-read postsJoker Bites His Wife's Face, Tells Cops He's BatmanThomas Byrd of Granite City, Ass Clown of the Week nominee, was sentenced to 24 year ... More >>

Feds Round Up Owner of Cannibal Kennel and Four Other Dog Breeders for Running an Alleged Dog-Fighting Operation

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Michael Reap announced today that his office has indicted five men on federal dog-fighting charges.During an early-morning raid, law enforcement officials arrested Michael "Missouri Mike" Morgan, of Hannibal; Robert Hackman, of Foley; Teddy K ... More >>

Last Call?: East St. Louis nightclubs under siege

St. Louis Cops Indicted Over Pot Sales, Stealing Thousands

The U.S. Attorney's Office has charged two St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers with stealing drug proceeds and selling marijuana, among other crimes. The ten-count indictment was unsealed today.   The officers, Bobby Lee Garrett and Vincent Carr, were partners and detectives in th ... More >>