Anthony Stallworth, a 26-year-old St. Louis man involved in a 2019 incident where he fired upon an undercover police officer, has been sentenced to over 15 years in prison. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig handed down the sentence yesterday, concluding a case that began with a drug sale and escalated to violence.
Stallworth had plead guilty in June to charges including distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The shooting incident can be traced back to an October 2019 undercover operation, where Stallworth, sold 28 capsules of fentanyl and later fired shots from his SUV at the pursuing officer’s vehicle. The ATF and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's investigation later uncovered large quantities of drugs and a firearm during a 2023 search of an apartment on Wilcox Avenue, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The mandatory minimum term for the discharge of a firearm charge is 10 years, which must be served consecutively with any other charges. "Stallworth armed himself with firearms and even opened fire on undercover officers, showing a blatant disregard for human life," Special Agent in Charge Bernard "Butch" Hansen stated. He added that Stallworth's actions, combined with the significant quantities of drugs he was dealing, "put our entire community at risk." These remarks underscore the severity of the threats posed by Stallworth's criminal activities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This conviction is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaborative efforts between law enforcement and local communities. The Department of Justice's violent crime reduction strategy, launched in 2021, supports community efforts to prevent violence and concentrates on strategic enforcement priorities. The impact of this case on local communities and its relation to broader initiatives illustrates the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and associated violence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case. With Stallworth now facing a lengthy prison sentence, her efforts and those of affiliated law enforcement agencies emphasize the consequences for those who engage in such dangerous criminal conduct.
