Gary Wilds, a 48-year-old St. Louis resident, has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement in a vehicle registration scheme.
Wilds, the owner of Pinnacle Concierge, a business that assisted customers in registering their vehicles with the Missouri Department of Revenue, admitted to bribing employees of motor vehicle license offices to falsely represent that vehicles had passed emissions and safety inspections and that owners had paid their property taxes and had proof of insurance or other evidence of financial responsibility.
Wilds also bribed employees into submitting forged documents claiming that vehicle owners were eligible for sales tax exemptions, resulting in tax assessments being reduced from thousands of dollars per vehicle to as little as $11.
Some of Wilds’ customers knew that he was going to use deceptive means to register their vehicles because their vehicles could not pass emissions tests, they had outstanding child support arrearages, or they had been barred from registering vehicles by another state agency.
The customers who were unaware suffered financial losses because Wilds sent a fraction of the actual required taxes to the Department of Revenue, and the owners remain liable for those taxes.
Wilds’ business partner, Ashlyn Graeff, 39, pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024, to three counts of making a false statement, while Megan Leone, 42, pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. Michelle Boyer, 53, pleaded guilty on May 21 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the Missouri Department of Revenue and the FBI. Wilds’ sentencing is scheduled for September 2, 2024. The conspiracy and wire fraud charges each carry a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. The charge of making a false statement carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Each aggravated identity theft charge is punishable by two years in prison, consecutive to any other charge.
Graeff was sentenced July 17, 2024, to four years of probation and ordered to pay $84,554 in restitution. Leone is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2024, and Boyer on August 21, 2024.
Defendant: Gary Wilds
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 22 counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and six counts of making a false statement.
City and State: St. Louis, Missouri
Exact Date: Sentencing scheduled for September 2, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: Sentencing scheduled for September 2, 2024
Dollar Amounts: None
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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