Missouri Felon Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for $822,000 Fraud, Gun Crimes

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Friday sentenced a convicted felon who possessed dozens of guns and committed an $822,000 fraud to 84 months in prison.

Dennis Latour, now 41, hatched a scheme in June of 2022 to bilk aspiring investors in the cannabis industry. Latour falsely claimed to have made successful investments in the industry and invited two victims to piggyback on his investment. Latour used the fraudulently obtained money to fund his personal lifestyle and to pay for guns, vehicles, jet skis and other items. One victim lost about $713,000 and the other lost about $109,000. Latour was ordered Friday to repay the money.

Latour, along with his former paramour Jennifer Keegan, also admitted the purchase and possession of dozens of firearms. Latour is a convicted felon who is barred from possessing firearms.

They began in February of 2023, with Keegan filling out the required paperwork, despite knowing that many of the guns would be possessed and/or used by Latour. Their purchases included a Barrett .50-caliber rifle, other rifles, pistols and a shotgun. When the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) performed a court-approved search of the home the couple shared in Des Peres, Missouri on Sept. 26, 2023, they found 27 firearms in a “vault” room and two pistols in the couple’s bedroom.

Latour pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon and 13 counts of wire fraud. Keegan pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to purchase one or more firearms for a convicted felon.

Keegan, 51, was sentenced on April 16 to three years of probation.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Szczucinski and Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.