Former Pine Lawn Lieutenant Convicted of Federal Charges

St. Louis, MO – Former Pine Lawn Lieutenant STEVEN BLAKENEY was convicted of criminal civil rights charges arising from his arrest in 2013 of a candidate for the office of Mayor of the City of Pine Lawn.

According to testimony presented at trial, on March 31, 2013, Blakeney, while a police officer with the City of Pine Lawn Police Department, conspired with others to cause the arrest of a mayoral candidate based on false allegations and without probable cause. Blakeney ordered another person to falsely report that the mayoral candidate had stolen a campaign poster from a local business and then arranged for the candidate to be arrested.           

Blakeney was convicted of one felony count of conspiracy against rights, one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of records.  The four-day trial was held before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.  Sentencing has been set for May 4, 2016.

These charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorneys Reginald Harris and Jennifer Winfield handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.