Former Kinloch Mayor Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Halfway House Records
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 16, 2013 |
ST. LOUIS, MO—Former Kinloch Mayor Keith Conway pled guilty to federal charges of submitting false employment records while completing his original sentence at a St. Louis halfway house, the Dismas House.
Conway was originally sentenced to 21 months in federal prison in November 2011 on charges of using Kinloch city funds to pay personal expenses, fund personal travel, and purchase a Florida vacation condominium timeshare; and attempting to influence Kinloch city officials to provide false information to federal law enforcement about the criminal charges pending against him.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2013, the United States Bureau of Prisons transferred Conway from its prison facility at Marion, Illinois, to the Dismas House residential reentry center in St. Louis. The Bureau of Prisons contracts with Dismas House for the housing and supervision of inmates and retains jurisdiction and responsibility over those inmates until their ultimate release from Bureau of Prisons' custody upon completion of their sentence. As a resident of Dismas House, Conway was required to seek and obtain full-time employment and to submit paycheck stubs to verify that employment to the Dismas House program director. While a resident at Dismas House awaiting final release from the Bureau of Prisons, Conway obtained and submitted numerous false payroll records, falsely representing that he had obtained full-time employment. Based upon those false records, Conway had been permitted to leave the Dismas House premises every day during his falsely reported work hours.
Conway, 49, pled guilty to four felony counts of filing false documents before United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry. Sentencing has been set for December 2013.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Public Corruption Unit, including officers of the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.