United States Attorney

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for selling stolen firearms, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Joshua S. Bailes, 32, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of stolen firearms. In his plea, he admitted that on Aug. 16, 2012, he and two co-defendants sold a total of four firearms to undercover agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On Aug. 21, 2012, Bailes and one co-defendant sold a total of 17 firearms to undercover ATF agents. It was determined later that the firearms were stolen. Among the firearms Bailes sold were handguns, rifles and shotguns. At the time of the crime, Bailes was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was a prior convicted felon.

Co-defendant Richard Fisher was sentenced to 15 years. Co-defendant Vincent Leuzinger was sentenced to 70 months.

Grissom commended the ATF and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A judge in St. Louis has ruled that Missouri’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison issued the ruling Wednesday. He heard arguments in the case on Sept. 29.

The city of St. Louis issued marriage licenses in June to four same-sex couples, setting up a court case over the state’s 2004 constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Assistant Attorney General Jeremiah Morgan argued that 71 percent of Missourians voted for the referendum defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

St. Louis City Counselor Winston Calvert countered that the existing law treats same-sex couples as “second-class citizens.”

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has narrowly won re-election even though exit polling suggested a majority of voters were skeptical of the personal income tax cuts he championed.

Exit polling conducted for The Associated Press and television networks showed Wednesday that 53 percent of the voters surveyed believed the cuts mostly hurt the state and 41 percent said they mostly helped.

The survey of 2,027 voters was conducted by Edison Research and had a margin of error of 4 percent. Earlier, preliminary exit polling data — involving fewer voters — had suggested a more favorable opinion of the tax cuts.

Legislators enacted the tax cuts at Brownback’s urging. He argued during the campaign that they were boosting the economy.

Democratic challenger Paul Davis said they wrecked the state’s finances.

JEFFERSON CITY- Gov. Jay Nixon announced today his appointment of Nia Ray as the new Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue effective December 1. Ray, Jefferson City, currently serves as Director of the Division of Employment Security. This appointment will be subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate.

“Nia’s executive leadership experience and many years in the public sector will serve her and the people of Missouri well in this new role,” Gov. Nixon said. “I appreciate Nia again stepping forward to lead an agency that Missouri families, businesses and communities rely on to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

Ray previously served as assistant legal counsel in the office of the governor and the Office of Administration before entering private legal practice in 2005. In 2009, Ray was appointed as executive director of Missouri’s Workforce Investment Board within the Department of Economic Development. In 2012, Ray was named director of Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Last year, Governor Nixon named Ray Director of the Division of Employment Security within the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and was confirmed by the Missouri Senate. Ray graduated Cum Laude from Spelman College in Atlanta, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois.

Acting director John Mollenkamp will resume his previous role as deputy director. Mollenkamp was named acting director while a search for a permanent director was underway. Mollenkamp, a native of Rolla, has served as Deputy Director of Revenue since 2011.

“I want to thank John for helping to lead this department over the past 18 months, and for his continued service on behalf of the people of Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is standing by his pledge to act on his own to reduce deportations and improve border security by the end of the year. Obama says he will take his own steps despite election results that gave Republicans control of Congress.

He says he prefers congressional action but that he has shown patience and has tried to work in a bipartisan fashion.

Obama says if Congress acts, his executive actions will go away. Republicans say any action will poison relations with the White House.

Obama angered Latinos and immigration advocacy groups earlier this year when he delayed any executive action until after the election. Any action Obama takes will likely reduce the number of deportations and grant work permits to millions of immigrants illegally in the United States.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A group leading efforts to protest the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is asking for advance notice before Missouri prosecutors announce whether the officer will be charged, saying it will help avoid widespread violence.

Members of the Don’t Shoot Coalition said Wednesday they’re preparing for when a grand jury decides whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. A decision could come later this month.

Wilson fatally shot Brown, who was unarmed, in the St. Louis suburb Aug. 9. The shooting has sparked ongoing protests, including some that turned violent.

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested.
Activists have criticized law enforcement’s use of tear gas and armored vehicles during protests. They asked Wednesday that such tactics not be used, saying they want to “de-escalate violence without de-escalating action.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is appealing a federal judge’s order that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban.

The state attorney general’s office filed a notice of appeal Wednesday. The filing came one day after U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree issued a preliminary injunction barring the state from enforcing its same-sex marriage ban as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 11. The enforcement delay was designed to give the state time to appeal.

The American Civil Liberties Union had sued to overturn Kansas’ ban after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear appeals from five states seeking to save their gay marriage bans. Among them were Oklahoma and Utah, which are in the same appeals court circuit as Kansas.