ST. LOUIS — Bill Anthony Jakob answered “guilty sir” or “guilty” Monday

morning as all 23 felony counts of a federal grand jury indictment,

issued in July, were read off against him during a change of plea

hearing at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse.

Jakob, 36, of Washington, was accompanied by his wife, Amanda, for the hour-long hearing before Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Under a plea agreement, Jakob faces between 60 and 69 months in prison for his role in a wire and mail fraud scheme to defraud his former employeer of nearly $500,000 in “sham” lock sales. His actions in April in Gerald led to 18 felony charges including false personation, by representing himself as law enforcement officer from at least different federal agencies, and, making illegal arrests and illegally detaining area residents while working with Gerald police.

Jakob had originally been scheduled to appear in federal court on Oct. 6. With his plea Monday, Sippel ordered the conditions of his $50,000 bond until sentencing in December.

“It went way beyond entering these homes without a warrant,” the sister of one of Jakob’s victims told The Republican in May. “It’s absolutely horrible…the emotional abuse.”

Prior to the hour-long hearing, , met privately for 10 minutes with Judge Sippel in his chamber.

After Jakob was sworn in under oath, the judge asked Jakob a series of questions. Satisified Jakob was not suffering from any mental problems, or currently under care of a mental health care professional, Sippel said, “It is my finding that Mr. Jakob is competent to procede.”

Jakob, wearing a suit and tie, answered “yes sir” and “yes” to a round of questions from Sippel. The judge asked if Jakob understood by pleading guilty he was giving up his right to trial, was waiving his right to self incrimination, if he had read the plea agreement with a lawyer present, if he had indeed signed the agreement, knew about the presentence investigation he would go through, and if he understood the sentencing guidelines.

At least twice during the hearing Sippel told Jakob the court had the right  to exceed the recommended sentencing. Jakob also said “yes” when asked if he understood he could file an objection to the sentencing guideline.

Although the plea agreement listed a potential term of between 60 and 69 months in federal prision, Sippel said, “It may be more than that. It may be less than that. You can withdraw your guilty plea if it’s more than the 60 to 69 months.”

Under the agreement, Jakob agreed there could be no further federal prosecution for his actions while employed at Total Lock during the period from July 2007 to early 2008 and for his actions in Gerald through May of 2008. That also included making  a false statement to federal investigators regarding his posing as a federal drug enforcement officer.

Later Sippel said, “I’m not required to follow the agreement” regarding the length of the sentence. Jakob again answered “yes” that he understood.

Jakob also agreed he would not appeal the sentence once it is finalized. He will not file any other motions regarding how his case was handled. And, he agreed, any personal property seized from him or his residence during the investigation will be forfeited.

After Sippel explained the sentencing levels for each of the felony complaints, the judge explained how much time Jakob could be sentenced to based on severity of the crimes. The severity increased for his effort to conceal or obstruct investigations, for abuse of power and trust while illegally acting as a lawman and physically restraining unsuspecting area residents, and for the “relatively sophisticated schemes,”  the judge said. Points were subtracted from the formula since he was “accepting responsibility in a timely fashion by admitting his guilt.”

Counts 1 and 2 were rated for sentences of between 27 and 33 months on each count. Jakob faced from 33 to 41 months between Counts 5 annd 22. One of those counts carried 36 months alone, the judge said. On Counts 1 through 4, the judge said he could be sentenced up from 27 to 33 months consecutively and another 60 to 69 months for Counts 5 to 22.

In all, if he went to trial and was convicted on all counts of the indictment, and the sentences were run consecutively, Jakob could have faced up to 102 years in federal prison. Under the plea agreement, the judge could still sentence him to the maximum of up to 32 years in prison. That would include a term “not more than” five years on each of Counts 1 and 2, “not more than” a year on each of Counts 3 and 4, to a year on each of the Counts Nos. 5 through 22, and “not more than” three years on Count 23. “You could be sentenced to the maximum number of years,” said Sippel. “Yes sir,” replied Jakob.

Goldsmith hinted there may be an issue of restitution and the need for a hearing at a later date. The judge assessed a $100 fee per count of the indictment payable at the 9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, 2008, sentencing hearing. “You’re subjecting yourself to the maximum sentencing,” said Sippel. Again, Jakob answered, “Yes sir.”

“I’m not required to following the (sentencing) agreement,” the judge said.

The judge also cited a list of rights Jakob could lose by pleading guilty include future voting priviledges. Jakob answered, “Yes sir.”

Reading from the federal indictment, Goldsmith noted they would be able to prove Jakob used “fake and sham business cards” and “fake and sham credentials” in order to work his way into a position to assist Gerald police. “He assumed a position of trust based on false pretenses,” said Goldsmith.

“The evidence will show” Jakob used physicial restraint to make unlawful and warrantless arrests, Goldsmith continued. “The defendant was armed. Sometimes with a pistol, sometimes with a shotgun, and he  used these weapons to assist in restraining” people they were placing under arrest, the assistant prosecutor said.

“He falsely stated he did not identify himself as a member of the Multijurisdictional Narcotics Task Force,” Goldsmith concluded noting Jakob’s May 9 interview with federal authorities.

“Had we gone to trial,” asked the judge, “what he said was true?”

“Yes sir,” said Jakob.

Sippel then explained federal sentencing guidelines for each of the 23 felony counts in the indictment. Under the plea agreement, Jakob faced up to 20 years and up to a $250,000 fine on each of the two counts that he committed wire and mail fraud in a sham to fake government purchase orders for specialized electronic lock sets. Those orders cost his employer, Total Lock and its affiliated installation firm, Installers, Inc., nearly $500,000 in bogus sales to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Jakob admitted he created two ficticious female Army Corps purchasing agents and used e-mail addresses he created for them to perpetuate fraudulant  bids and contract awards. He also fraudulantly used a facsimile machine to transmit orders to a lock supplier in South Dakota. At least one order of locks worth $91,847 was shipped to a Corps station in Memphis, Tenn.

Jakob admitted he used an expired U.S. government issued Visa card on Dec. 31, 2007, given to him for travel and lodging during a Missouri National Guard mission, in an attempt to pay off one of the orders for the locks. The card had expired in June of 2007. 

“Every National Guard soldier is required to get a travel card but it goes against their own personal credit,” said Capt. Jamie Melchert of the guard’s State Public Affairs Office in Jefferson City. Every card, he added has a specific limit for that mission. Guard records show Jakob’s rank at the time of his unspecified date of separation from the Guard was as a “PV1 (E-1)” or “an entry level National Guard soldier. One of 11,000 statewide,” said Melcher.

Melcher said Jakob’s last duty assignment was with Headquarters, Co., 35th Engineer Brigade, Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.

Goldsmith said Jakob lied on his job application with Total Lock and claimed he had actually attained the rank of E-8 (a first sargeant). Goldsmith said Jakob  never made an overseas tour of duty and never went into the Army, as he has claimed in a court deposition in a wrongful death lawsuit. Jakob had claimed in the deposition to have been wounded in a mortar attack in Iraq while serving as an Army medic, according to a television news report by KMOV TV. Jakob received an “other than honorable discharge” from the Guard in June of 2006, said Goldsmith.

Posing as two separate federal purchasing agents with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as noted in Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment, carried sentences of up to three years in prison, the judge noted.

Sippel said Jakob would be subjected to “supervised release” once his sentence is served. The judge concluded the hearing saying, “I feel that as Bill Anthony Jakob is competent to plead guilty, I will accept his plea of guilty. All conditions of his bond remain in effect.”

For more on the story, see page 25 for Linda Trest’s report on her one-on-one interview with Jakob at the courthouse which has ties to her initial encounter with the imposter lawman. For an interesting story by The Washington Missourian and their experiences with Jakob in a 2006 story they published, about his ties to the Masonic lodge there, see their web site: emissourian.com