ST. LOUIS — Four brothers were sentenced Monday to prison terms stemming from a 2017 cigarette and synthetic marijuana trafficking sting that ensnared 35 people.
Among those sentenced was Mohammed Almuttan, 40, who co-owns several convenience stores in north ºüÀêÊÓƵ and north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County and two properties that feature prominently in the federal bribery case against three former members of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Board of Aldermen.
The Post-Dispatch has previously identified him as the federal informant in the June indictment that charged former ºüÀêÊÓƵ Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed and former aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammad with accepting bribes from the properties’ owner in return for helping to pass lucrative tax breaks. The same informant was also involved in a case that led to charges against former ºüÀêÊÓƵ County official Tony Weaver, who had been appointed to a job by ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Executive Sam Page and was charged with trying to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 business grants.
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Almuttan was facing charges related to what federal prosecutors said was a scheme to manufacture synthetic drugs in Jefferson County and sell them at the stores he and his family owned, as well as a scheme to buy cheap Missouri cigarettes and sell them in high-tax states such as Illinois and New Jersey.
After pleading guilty in April along with three of his brothers, prosecutors dismissed money laundering charges, a conspiracy to traffic controlled substances charge and cigarette trafficking charges against Almuttan. A charge of conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes remained.
Nothing about his cooperation was mentioned in court Monday, and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to make any statements about him or his brothers during the back-to-back sentencings in the case.
But U.S. Judge Ronnie White described Almuttan as a “ringleader, if not the mastermind†of the cigarette and synthetic drug trafficking operations, and sentenced him to four years in federal prison. Almuttan, who was born in Palestine, is not a citizen and has a naturalization application pending. His guilty plea includes a provision where prosecutors expressly say his crime is not one of “moral turpitude,†a class of offenses that can lead to deportation.
Almuttan’s attorney, Justin Gelfand, declined to comment. But in court, he described Almuttan as a hardworking immigrant and the father of five children who donates to the primarily low-income communities where his stores operate.
The Rev. Elston McCowan, vice president of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ branch of the NAACP, wrote a letter on NAACP letterhead asking for leniency for Almuttan, saying he donates school supplies and money to needy families.
“His stores are the reason some north ºüÀêÊÓƵ City neighborhoods are no longer food deserts,†McCowan wrote Sept. 22.
But ºüÀêÊÓƵ NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt sent his own letter to the court Friday, saying the ºüÀêÊÓƵ branch of the NAACP did not support leniency. Pruitt worked with Reed on a failed 2020 effort to allow ºüÀêÊÓƵ Lambert International Airport to be leased to a private operator.
Pruitt wrote that when Almuttan asked McCowan about writing a letter on his behalf, McCowan asked Almuttan if he was part of “the wide ranging public corruption cases before the courts, and Mr. Almuttan assured him that he was not.â€
“Thus, Mr. Almutton (sic) has acted to deceived (sic) not only Mr. McCowan but also the Court,†Pruitt wrote.
White, the judge, also said that the letters from supporters only show one side of his character, and “there’s another side to you the public needs to know about.â€
“The harm you caused is immeasurable,†White said.
Dozens of other defendants in the case appeared before White, and they now all have criminal convictions because of Almuttan’s trafficking schemes.
“These folks who appeared in front of me, they trusted you to do right by them,†White said.
Three of Almuttan’s brothers and business partners also were sentenced Monday. All are U.S. citizens and there is no indication they cooperated with the government in the public corruption probe.
White sentenced Rami Almuttan to four years in prison for a count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Money laundering and a cigarette trafficking charge were dismissed in exchange for his plea.
Among those writing leniency letters for Rami Almuttan was Steven Miltenberger, owner of Wildwood-based Torch Electronics. Torch operates thousands of unregulated gaming devices in gas stations across the state and has been charged with illegal gambling in at least one jurisdiction.
“My family has known Rami Almuttan for over 20 years,†Miltenberger wrote. “He was one of Torch Electronics’ first clients. I know Rami to be a man of his word.â€
Another brother Hisham Mutan, was also sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to traffic in cigarettes. His other counts were dismissed.
Mutan’s attorney Neil Bruntrager pleaded with White to give Mutan probation, arguing Mutan maintains the books of the businesses and deals with the banks. Letting him remain free would allow him to continue operating the convenience stores, which include Northway Market and Mally Supermarket on West Florissant Avenue and employ some 40 people.
“He’s the person who can keep these businesses open while (his brothers) are gone,†Bruntrager said. “If they are all gone, judge, then these businesses fail.â€
Bruntrager made the same argument for Saddam Mutan, the final brother to be sentenced Monday.
“Leave one brother in place to run the businesses,†Bruntrager said.
White gave Saddam Mutan 46 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes. His other charges were dismissed.