A federal grand jury indicted a former Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance supervisor Wednesday on four counts of mail fraud, capping a case that began with two missing commercial mowers and unraveled into allegations of a years-long spending scheme on state-issued credit cards. Artemus Jamal “AJ” Jackson, 37, of Florissant, is accused of racking up roughly $50,000 in personal purchases while covering his tracks with doctored vendor invoices.
The indictment, returned in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleges Jackson made approximately 248 personal transactions on state cards between December 2022 and July 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors say the purchases included electronics along with parts and accessories for a Yamaha Raptor ATV, a Suzuki motorcycle and a GMC Sierra 1500 truck. As reported by KMOV, the personal spending also allegedly extended to watches, clothing, cologne, shoes and accessories for personal vehicles.
Jackson had worked for MoDOT since December 2013 and was promoted to maintenance supervisor at the Normandy facility in October 2022, per the station's reporting. He was fired on July 24, 2026, after the alleged scheme came to light.
How the Fraud Allegedly Worked
According to the Justice Department, Jackson concealed the unauthorized charges by creating false entries and editing vendor invoices so the purchases would appear to be legitimate MoDOT expenses. He then signed off on the transactions himself before passing the altered records up to his supervisor — a gap in oversight that let the scheme continue for roughly three and a half years, per the same federal account.
The case took a stranger turn in May, when prosecutors say Jackson stole two newly delivered MoDOT commercial mowers on May 17, 2026. The mowers, which the station reports cost $9,954 and $13,959, had reportedly been purchased by Jackson himself for MoDOT that same month. Combined with a previously stolen trailer, the federal indictment puts the total equipment loss at nearly $30,000.
An Allegedly Staged Burglary
Rather than simply taking the equipment, Jackson allegedly staged a burglary to make it look like someone else had stolen the mowers, according to KMOV's reporting. He then reportedly called in an anonymous tip about the mowers' location using a fake voice, and initially claimed a trailer had been stolen from a MoDOT facility in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
Investigators eventually found the missing mowers in a wooded area near Interstate 70 and Hanley Road, along with a handwritten note that read “Normandy! Mowers! MoDOT!!!,” the station reports. A 14-foot Big Tex trailer — purchased with $5,411 in MoDOT funds in 2025 — was separately found blocking a lane on Lewis and Clark Boulevard. Police said surveillance video showed Jackson towing that trailer with his personal truck and leaving it there.
Federal and State Investigators Involved
The criminal investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and MoDOT's Audits and Investigations Division, with assistance from the Missouri State Auditor's Office, according to the Justice Department. MoDOT's Audits and Investigations Division operates five dedicated sections, including internal audit and investigation units, and maintains a toll-free hotline for reporting misuse of public funds, per the agency's own organizational documentation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is the lead federal prosecutor representing the United States in the St. Louis proceedings, the Justice Department said. Jackson faces four counts of mail fraud; a conviction on a single count carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Jackson lives in Florissant, where MoDOT held public open houses back in February regarding a corridor safety overhaul on New Halls Ferry Road — part of the agency's broader footprint in the community, as Hoodline previously reported. As with any federal indictment, the charges remain allegations, and Jackson maintains a presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court, the Justice Department noted.
