Steven V Stenger, Honest Services Bribery, Missouri 2023

St. Louis County Executive Steven V. Stenger is staring down federal prison time after being indicted Thursday on three counts of honest services bribery and mail fraud. The charges, filed in Missouri’s Eastern District, allege a years-long pay-to-play scheme that turned public office into a backroom marketplace for campaign cash and corrupt favors.

The indictment lays bare a web of graft stretching from 2014 to 2018, accusing Stenger of trading official actions for campaign contributions and orchestrated fundraising events. Prosecutors say he defrauded St. Louis County citizens of their right to honest government by funneling lucrative contracts and property deals to political benefactors, including John Rallo and his companies: Cardinal Insurance, Cardinal Creative Consulting, and Wellston Holdings, LLC.

Specifically, the feds allege Stenger ensured Cardinal Insurance landed county contracts in 2015 and 2016 after receiving campaign donations. He then pushed through a consulting deal for Rallo’s second firm with the St. Louis County Port Authority. Later, Stenger allegedly fast-tracked options for Rallo’s Wellston Holdings to buy two county-held properties in Wellston—deals that benefited both Rallo and Stenger’s campaign coffers.

The conspiracy didn’t stop there. The indictment names a shadowy ‘Company One’ that secured a prime 2019–2021 state lobbying contract with the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership—again, after funneling money into Stenger’s political machine. Each transaction was allegedly shielded by lies, cover-ups, and false public statements designed to hide the quid pro quo.

Stenger is set to appear at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Noelle Collins at the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse in downtown St. Louis. If convicted on any of the three counts, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine per charge. Mandatory restitution will also be imposed, with sentencing guided by federal guidelines.

This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting. As with all federal charges, the indictment is not proof of guilt—Stenger is presumed innocent until proven so in a court of law. But the allegations paint a damning portrait of power corrupted by cash.

Related Federal Cases