Cops, drugs, conspiracy, fraud and theft in St. Louis

Former City detective pleads guilty to multiple crimes committed on duty

St. Louis American staff

On Friday (August 28), former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detective Bobby Garrett plead guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, making false statements and theft of government funds, according to Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap.

Though Reap described it as an "isolated incident," the investigation revealed several City undercover detectives under the leadership of then Police Chief Mokwa committing crimes together on multiple occasions while in the line of duty.

Federal investigators describe a network of on-duty police officers stealing money from purported drug dealers and lying in official documents to conceal their crimes.

Federal agents also described false arrests made as part of the cover-up and obstruction of justice when their crimes were investigated.

Garrett, Leo Liston and Vincent Carr were police detectives employed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, assigned to the Crime Suppression Unit.

Their duties included investigations involving auto theft, burglary, illegal narcotics sales and firearms offenses and were usually carried out while working in plain clothes and unmarked cars.

According to statements made in court by Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith at the time of the guilty plea, Garrett aided and abetted other officers acting with him in stealing money from a purported drug courier they stopped on September 18, 2007, and failed to properly report the stop and seizure in order to conceal their actions.

Further, Goldsmith said, in a June 6, 2008 drug raid, Garrett stole money, lied on police reports about the drug raid, and took other actions to conceal the theft, including falsely arresting and charging an individual relative to the drug raid.

Garrett later lied to a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI agents investigating the incident in order to conceal his criminal conduct, Goldsmith said.

In an unrelated June 11, 2008 drug raid, Garrett and other officers working with him seized approximately $12,000 in cash, but only reported approximately $4,000 of the seized cash to the police department. The remaining approximately $8,000 was misapplied by Garrett and the other officers, and a false police report was prepared in order to conceal their criminal conduct, Goldsmith said in connection to the guilty plea.

Garrett, 49, of St. Louis County, plead guilty to one felony count of embezzlement of government property, one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one felony count of wire fraud, two felony counts of making false statements and one felony count of misapplication of government funds.

Garrett will be sentenced on November 10 in front of United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.

"It is a sad day when a police officer violates his solemn oath to serve and protect, and instead uses his badge and authority to commit criminal acts," Reap said.

John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in St. Louis, said, "We will not tolerate this type of public corruption."

Co-defendant Vincent Carr, 47 of St. Louis, plead guilty in February to one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one felony count of wire fraud, two felony counts of making false statements and one felony count of obstruction of justice.

Co-defendant Leo Liston, 35 of St. Louis, plead guilty in May to one felony count of misapplication of government funds.

Carr and Liston are scheduled for sentencing September 8.

The maximum penalties that the defendants are facing:

* conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud, maximum of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000;
* making false statements, five years and/or fine up to $250,000;
* theft/embezzlement of government property, 10 years prison and/or fines up to $250,000;

* obstruction of justice, 20 years and/or fines up to $250,000;
* and misapplication of government funds, ten years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

The crimes to which these detectives plead guilty were committed when Joe Mokwa was police chief. Mokwa resigned July 25, 2008 – six weeks after the last incident described by federal investigators in this case was committed.

Mokwa resigned during a scandal over towing operations by a City vendor, S & H Parking Systems, managed by Greg Shepard, a former City detective.

In the police board trial of Police Officer Scott Tillis, Mokwa testified that he had known Shepard for 20 years and had visited him at the tow yard on average every month "for coffee."

Mokwa denied that his resignation had anything to do with the investigation into the tow operation.

Shepard was indicted in June on multiple charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, and bribery.

Earlier this month, former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Detective Kevin Shade plead guilty to mail fraud in connection with falsifying inspections for S & H Parking Systems, a City vendor approved by the Board of Police Commissioners.

Shade, 35, of St. Louis, pled guilty to one felony count of mail fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, when he is sentenced on October 29.

Tillis, who says he faced retaliation after he investigated S & H and was warned by Shepard that Shepard was "with Joe (Mokwa)," remains on unpaid suspension from the department.