KANSAS CITY, MO – The opioid epidemic fueled a brazen crime spree across the Kansas City metro, culminating in hefty federal sentences for three individuals involved in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and rob pharmacies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced the sentences today, bringing a measure of closure to a case that exposed the lengths to which addicts and those profiting from their misery will go.
Julian R. King, 22, of Kansas City, Mo., received 21 months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. Tara D. Childress, 31, and Michael C. Bellinghausen, 33, both of Gladstone, Mo., faced significantly longer terms: Childress was sentenced to 12 years and six months, and Bellinghausen to 11 years, also without parole. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner.
The conspiracy, which ran from May 1, 2013, to July 16, 2015, initially involved passing fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone. When that avenue became increasingly difficult, the group escalated to outright robbery. Bellinghausen and Childress admitted to orchestrating a series of pharmacy heists, targeting Walgreens locations across the metro area. The operation wasn’t just about obtaining pills; it was about turning addiction into profit.
One particularly brazen robbery occurred on June 9, 2015, at a Walgreens on W. Kansas St. in Liberty, Mo. Bellinghausen planned the operation, which involved a distraction tactic – a female conspirator feigning interest in tampons – before two masked individuals stormed the pharmacy, brandishing what appeared to be a firearm. They forced the pharmacist to unlock the oxycodone supply, making off with approximately 2,911 pills. Bellinghausen also confessed to planning other similar robberies throughout the summer of 2015.
Childress and King were also implicated in a May 16, 2015, robbery at a Walgreens on S. Noland Rd. in Independence, Mo., where King served as the get-away driver. The pair demanded oxycodone from the pharmacist, successfully stealing 1,426 doses. Their luck ran out on September 9, 2015, during an attempted robbery at the same Independence Walgreens. King and co-defendant Melinda P. Backhus were apprehended by store personnel, while another accomplice, Aaron M. Anderson, fled. The group was also responsible for a robbery at a Walgreens on N.E. Vivion Rd. in Kansas City, Mo., on May 5, 2015.
This case is far from isolated. Nine co-defendants have now pleaded guilty, including Danielle Bradbury, 27, and Aaron M. Anderson, 26, both of Kansas City, Mo., and Melinda P. Backhus, 24, of Gladstone, who have already been sentenced. Austin T. Bradbury (Danielle Bradbury’s husband), 27, Christa M. O’Dell, 21, and Matthew Larson, 25, all of Kansas City, Mo., have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, underscoring the scope of this organized criminal enterprise and the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on the Kansas City community.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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