Washington, Missouri Man Indicted for Impersonating Federal Law Enforcement Officers and Multiple Fraud Charges

St. Louis, MO – Bill Anthony Jakob was charged in a 23-count indictment alleging that he impersonated law enforcement officers and posed as a contracting officer for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced today at a press conference in St. Louis. 

Joining her in the announcement was John Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI-St. Louis; Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke; Richard Zott, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and Lieutenant Kyle Marquart, Missouri State Highway Patrol.

“Citizens depend upon law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect them. People who impersonate these officers and put our citizens at risk will be prosecuted and held accountable for their actions,” said Hanaway.

The first four counts of the indictment allege that Jakob posed as a contracting officer for the U.S. Corps of Engineers while he was employed at the Total Lock & Security Company.  Total Lock & Security Company, located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, sells doors and locksets to commercial customers and United States government agencies. During January 2007, Jakob was hired as a dispatcher for Total Lock & Security, and was promoted in April to salesperson, with a primary focus on military and other government agency sales, until his termination in January 2008.

The indictment alleges that between July 2007 and January 2008, Jakob falsely represented to Total Lock that he had negotiated three separate contracts for electronic locksets to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.  Jakob established an e-mail account which falsely represented to be a true e-mail address for the purported Corps of Engineers contracting officers relative to the sham lockset sale.  Jakob made up two names of purported Corps of Engineers contracting officers, who were actually Jakob.

Based upon Jakob’s false representations, Total Lock believed it was entering into several contracts with the Corps of Engineers valued at approximately $500,000. Further, because of these false contracts, Total Lock had to purchase these specialized locksets from its own supplier to fill the sham contracts with the Corps of Engineers.

Counts 5 through 22 of the indictment involves Jakob’s false impersonation of three different federal officers.  The indictment alleges that on separate occasions during April 2008, Jakob represented himself as either an officer and employee of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, an agent of the United States Department of Justice Multi-Jurisdictional Narcotics Task Force or as a United States Marshal, and participated in multiple arrests and residential searches in the Gerald, Missouri area.  The residential searches occurred at six locations in Gerald, Missouri, and one location in Franklin County, Missouri.

Count 23 alleges that in May 2008, Jakob denied that he posed as an agent of the United States Department of Justice Multi Jurisdictional Narcotics Task Force when questioned by the FBI.

BILL ANTHONY JAKOB, Washington, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one felony count of wire fraud, one felony count of mail fraud, two felony counts of false impersonation, eighteen felony counts of false impersonation in making arrests and residential searches and one felony count of making false statements to the FBI.

If convicted, each wire and mail fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000; each count of false impersonation carries a maximum of three years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000; and making false statements carries a maximum of five years prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

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