First Responders

St. Louis Cop Going to Prison for Bilking Neighborhood Association

March 22, 2022Carl Prine
Tower Grove South

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has targeted crime in the Tower Grove South neighborhood for years and approved secondary security employment for off-duty officers there. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department photo.

A St. Louis cop who bilked a neighborhood association while moonlighting on a security gig will spend a year and a day behind bars.


On Monday, March 21, in St. Louis, US District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk also sentenced former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer Brad A. Stephens to two years of supervised release when he exits prison and ordered him to pay $24,750 in restitution for fleecing the taxpayer-funded Tower Grove South Concerned Citizens Special Business District.


In a plea deal he inked with federal prosecutors on Nov. 24, 2021, Stephens, 43, confessed to three counts of felony mail fraud. Although he was paid up to $30 per hour to patrol the neighborhood as an off-duty St. Louis cop in 2018 and 2019, he never showed up for 169 shifts. He still pocketed the paychecks mailed to him by the contracted security firm, City Wide Security. Federal investigators estimated Stephens was paid $24,750 for work he never did.


st louis cop
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has targeted crime in the Tower Grove South neighborhood for years and approved secondary security employment for off-duty officers there. These weapons and narcotics were seized from a stolen car in the neighborhood on May 13, 2020, and two suspects were arrested. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department photo.

“It is impossible to ascertain how many crimes may have been committed during shifts when Mr. Stephens was supposed to be patrolling,” wrote Kathryn Heitzenroeder, the chairperson of the business district, in a letter to Pitlyk. “It is impossible to know if a crime occurred that would not have occurred had a criminal seen Mr. Stephens patrolling the area.”


Reached by email, Stephens declined comment.


Court filings indicate that Stephens was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. After a brief stint in Houston as a jail guard for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, he moved to Missouri to attend the St. Louis Police Academy in 2014 and joined the force in 2015.


st louis cop Tower Grove South
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department patrol the Tower Grove South neighborhood on April 16, 2014. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department photo.

He continued to serve the St. Louis Metropolitan Police until his federal grand jury indictment on May 12, 2021.


Stephens’ indictment seemed to shock fellow St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer TyJuan Atkins. In a letter to Pitlyk, he described Stephens as a “true friend, awesome police officer and a terrific person.”


Atkins recalled responding to a carjacking with Stephens. He arrived at the scene before Stephens and confronted a frantic victim he couldn’t understand. But Stephens was more experienced and calmly extracted the clues they needed to locate the missing vehicle.


Stephens earned a commercial driver’s license after his indictment and plans to continue operating a truck after he leaves prison, according to court records.


Read Next: Texas Man Caught Fencing $2.2 Million in Stolen Fort Hood Night Fighting Gear



Carl Prine
Carl Prine

Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
navy seal training
Navy SEALS Training Plagued by Massive Problems, According To Investigation

Medical oversight and care were “poorly organized, poorly integrated and poorly led and put candidat...

memorial day arlington
Memorial Day Is a Day of Remembrance, Not Celebration

Memorial Day was created as a remembrance to honor the fallen by decorating graves — a holiday meant...

air force joint chiefs
Air Force Fighter Pilot Tapped As Next Joint Chiefs Chairman Has History of Firsts

The Air Force fighter pilot about to be nominated as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ...

sowf special operations warrior foundation
BRCC Donates $500K to Special Operations Warrior Foundation

In an effort to continue Black Rifle Coffee Company’s mission of supporting the veteran community, B...

Coca Cola 600
BRCC to Honor Fallen Marine During NASCAR’s Legendary Coca-Cola 600

Black Rifle Coffee Company will honor Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa during NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 this Memorial Day. Menusa was killed in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq.

uss gerald r. ford oslo
US Aircraft Carrier Arrives In NATO Member Norway, To Take Part In Drills

The nuclear-powered ship USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat with armed personnel on board.

adam driver indy 500
Marine Vet, Actor Adam Driver Named Honorary Starter for Indianapolis 500

Two-time Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, who will soon be starring as Enzo Ferrari in a biopic of...

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved