Federal Prosecutor Receives Prestigious Legal Award

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jeffrey Q. McCarther, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Lon O. Hocker Award in recognition of his outstanding trial work in federal court.

“Jeff McCarther has been on the front line of our effort to make our community safer by getting violent criminals off the street and behind bars,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “Jeff has worked diligently to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers, armed robbers, kidnappers, carjackers, felons and others who illegally possess firearms. Jeff confronts some of the most dangerous criminals in court and brings them to justice. Combatting violent crime is one of our highest priorities, and his dedication and professionalism have earned the respect of the legal community.”

Each year, the Missouri Bar recognizes one attorney under the age of 40 in the Kansas City, Mo., area who exemplifies the qualities of a trial lawyer, including professionalism and high ethical conduct. Awards are also presented to one attorney in the St. Louis, Mo., area and to one attorney in the remaining counties. The Missouri Bar Foundation describes the Lon O. Hocker Award recipients: “The recipients are chosen based on their demonstrated balance between zealousness and honor, strength and courtesy, and confidence and respect. They must possess a quick wit in the courtroom that is supported by meticulous preparation in the pursuit of truth.”

McCarther has been a federal prosecutor for seven years in the Violent Crime and Drug Trafficking Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He prosecutes felony crimes related to robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, drug trafficking conspiracies, the illegal possession of firearms, as well as other violent and drug-related crimes. Since joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2014, McCarther has successfully prosecuted 18 jury trials, as well as three bench trials.

For example, in 2019 McCarther earned convictions against two defendants who were indicted for kidnapping, robbing, and terrorizing three women during a violent, hours-long crime spree. The victims were threatened with a sawed-off shotgun as their kidnappers forced them to withdraw money from ATMs. One of the victims escaped when police officers recognized the stolen car in which she was being held. The others were able to flee from their captors. The jury deliberated less than two hours before returning guilty verdicts on 17 charges apiece. One defendant was later sentenced as an armed career criminal and “three strikes” violent felon to four consecutive terms of life in federal prison without parole. The other defendant was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison without parole.

In another case, a defendant was convicted at trial for illegally possessing the firearm he had used to shoot his girlfriend. He was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 17 years in federal prison without parole.

Another defendant was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole after being convicted at trial of participating in a conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. His co-defendants, who pleaded guilty, possessed 80,000 pseudoephedrine pills at the time of their arrest – enough to produce approximately three kilograms of pure methamphetamine with a street value of more than $100,000.

McCarther was born, raised, and currently resides in Kansas City, Mo. He is a 2005 graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a 2009 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia, Mo. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, McCarther was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Jackson County, Mo., Prosecutor’s Office and, before that, a civil attorney at a top national law firm.

Lon O. Hocker Award

Mary B. Hocker established the Lon O. Hocker Award in 1954 in memory of her late husband, an outstanding trial lawyer who practiced in St. Louis for more than 50 years.  The Missouri Bar Foundation gives the award annually to lawyers who have demonstrated unusual proficiency in the art of trial advocacy.

Traditionally, the Missouri Bar Foundation presents these awards at its Awards Luncheon during The Missouri Bar Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting this year will be held virtually as it was last year. Nominations were taken from throughout the state by previous Lon O. Hocker Award winners, the Missouri Bar president, leaders, or members-at-large. The review committee was comprised of three or more federal or state judges.