Motorcycle crash kills Stockton man, Branson woman lifeflighted to Cox South

One man died and a woman was injured following a one-vehicle accident 6:25 p.m. Thursday on Route  three miles northeast of Aldrich.

According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2016 Harley Davidson driven by a 70-year-old Stockton man failed to negotiate a curve and traveled off the left side of the roadway and down an embankment, then traveled through a fence and overturned, ejecting the driver and a passenger.

The driver was killed. The passenger, a 59-year-old Branson woman, was airlifted to Cox South Hospital, Springfield, to be treated for serious injuries.

The fatality was the 16th this year for Highway Patrol Troop D.

Cedar County attorney pleads guilty to defrauding clients

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Cedar County, Mo., attorney pleaded guilty to wire fraud yesterday for defrauding his vulnerable clients and using funds meant for their well-being for his own personal benefit.

Peter A. Lee, 50, of Stockton, Mo., devised a scheme to defraud his clients of funds for his own personal gain and then concealed his scheme by making false representations to his clients and financial institutions. Lee also used his clients’ funds to repay victims of his prior thefts. The clients he defrauded included decedent estates and a special needs trust. From January 2019 through February 2025, Lee obtained $296,140 in client funds through his fraud scheme.

As a part of Lee’s plea agreement, he agreed to voluntarily surrender his license to practice law.

Under federal statutes, Lee is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Springfield business owner pleads guilty to COVID fraud

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Springfield business owner pleaded guilty today for fraudulently obtaining $316,062 in Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and using the money for unauthorized purposes, including for his own personal benefit.

According to court documents, Jason L. Hemingway, 47, applied for two PPP loans on behalf of his business, Principal Transfer Group, LLC, in February and April of 2021. 

On those applications Hemingway falsely inflated the number of employees and certified the PPP loans were for eligible business expenses. Additionally, Hemingway used the name of another individual without their knowledge or authorization (due to his own poor personal credit history) to obtain loans designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans that were suffering from negative economic effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Specifically, Hemingway pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. He agreed to pay $316,062 in restitution and will forfeit to the government any property derived from the fraud and money laundering scheme, including a money judgment.

A federal district court judge will determine Hemingway’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Under federal statutes, Hemingway is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud and up to 10 years in prison for money laundering. The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Springfield gang member sentenced on weapons charge

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Springfield, Mo., man who was closely associated with a local street gang known as “FTO,” was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms, one of which has been linked to multiple shootings.

Ty’lan Lamar Spencer, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 60 months in federal prison without parole, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2021, law enforcement stopped a vehicle in which Spencer was a passenger. Under the backseat officers found a loaded Pioneer Arms, Hellpup, 7.62 caliber, semi-automatic pistol. Spencer admitted the Hellpup firearm belonged to him and admitted he was a regular user of marijuana. It is a violation of Federal law for an unlawful user of a controlled substance to knowingly possess a firearm.

On June 1, 2023, Spencer was caught on surveillance footage at a gas station brandishing a firearm during an argument. A warrant was issued for this incident, and he was arrested on Aug. 4, 2023.. During Spencer’s arrest, officers found a loaded Taurus, G2C, 9mm, semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket. Spencer was with another FTO associate. During a search of the associate’s vehicle, officers found a Glock, 23 Gen 5, .40 caliber, semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine. Spencer admitted that the Glock firearm found in the vehicle belonged to him.

The Taurus pistol was submitted to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (“NIBIN”) and leads were generated indicating that the firearm was used in two unresolved shootings, one that occurred on July 20, 2023, and the other that occurred on July 30, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.

Mexican national pleads guilty to reentering U. S. illegally

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally reentering the United States after he was previously deported.

Javier Luis Arias-Zamudio, aka Jose Luis Cordova, 34, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge David P. Rush, to a federal indictment charging him with one count of illegal reentry after a felony conviction.

According to court documents, on Oct. 23, 2025, deputies with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Arias-Zamudio and determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States.

Arias-Zamudio has previously been convicted of felony illegal reentry, in the District of Arizona, in 2021, and removed from the United States on April 21, 2021, through Nogales, Ariz. Additionally, Arias-Zamudio was previously removed from the United States on May 5, 2017, and August 29, 2019, at Laredo, Tx.

Under federal statutes, Arias-Zamudio is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sparta, Missouri Police Department, and the Christian County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office.