ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A federal court sentenced former St. Louis County aide Tony Weaver to 18 months in prison Thursday for corruption charges.
Weaver pleaded guilty in October to public corruption charges for attempting a fraudulent pay-to-play scheme involving small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page appointed Weaver, but prosecutors said there was no evidence Page knew what Weaver was involved in.
Court filings said Weaver referred to Page and former Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray in several of the conversations with an FBI informant.
Weaver was quoted saying, “Everybody’s coming together doing their thing. And when Sam Page’s term is over, we’ll all be millionaires and won’t have to worry about anything at all … I hope this place is not bugged … that’s how (former St. Louis County Executive Steve) Stenger got caught."
During sentencing, the judge said the undercover recordings revealed Weaver's attempts to cover up the scheme showed a "clear window" into his mind.
As a change management coordinator at the St. Louis County Jail, Weaver made $95,000 a year. He is the last of four St. Louis area politicians nabbed by the same FBI informant who is still awaiting sentencing.
Federal Prosecutor Hal Goldsmith characterized Weaver’s scheme as “bold and reflecting a level of arrogance which cannot be ignored.”
In a sentencing memorandum, Goldsmith said, “Had the Defendant’s scheme been successful, it would have diverted much needed grant funds from legitimate business applicants which actually had to close their doors and lay off employees during the pandemic.”
Weaver will also be ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for his crimes.
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