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
Military
US Launches Airstrikes in Syria After Drone Kills US Worker

While it’s not the first time the U.S. and Iran have traded airstrikes in Syria, the attack and the ...

March 24, 2023Associated Press
The Gift jason dunham
Entertainment
‘The Gift’ Explores the Life and Legacy of Medal of Honor Recipient Jason Dunham

"The Gift" tells the story of the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor after the Vietnam War. ...

March 24, 2023Mac Caltrider
uss milius
Intel
US Denies Chinese Claim It Drove Away American Destroyer

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said that a statement from China's Southern Theatre Command that it had fo...

March 23, 2023Associated Press
ultramarathon
Military
The Speed Project: Vet Team To Run in Lawless, Invite-Only Ultramarathon

For the first time, a team of (mostly) US veterans and active-duty service members will run in The S...

March 23, 2023Jenna Biter
uranium-based ammo ammunition Ukraine UK depleted uranium
Intel
A Look At the Uranium-Based Ammo the UK Will Send to Ukraine

The British defense ministry on Monday confirmed it would provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

March 23, 2023Associated Press
Zaporizhzhia Ukraine Russia
Intel
Ukraine: Russia Hits Apartments and Dorm, Killing Civilians

“Russia is shelling the city with bestial savagery,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegr...

March 22, 2023Associated Press
cold brew coffee soda float
Coffee
The Bitter Barista's Cold Brew Coffee Soda Float

Today, we combine the best of both worlds with this indulgent recipe, smashing together our love of coffee and ice cream with a cold brew coffee soda float!

March 21, 2023Heather Lynn
abrams tanks ukraine
Intel
US Speeds Up Abrams Tank Delivery to Ukraine War Zone

The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the newer M1A2 Abrams, which could have taken a year or ...

March 21, 2023Associated Press
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved