Attorney General's News Release

March 20, 1995

Operation Lam Scam nets 29 arrests, clears 148 warrants in Clay County sting

Jefferson City, Mo. — An undercover sting operation conducted jointly by Attorney General Jay Nixon and Clay County Sheriff Robert D. Boydston resulted in the arrest of 29 fugitives and cleared arrest warrants for 148 people wanted by Clay County authorities on a variety of outstanding warrants, including felony stealing, bad check and forgery charges. Operation Lam Scam, which ended March 17, targeted individuals sought by the Clay County Sheriff's Department.

“Those who thought they could beat the system learned a tough lesson,” Nixon said. “As law enforcement officers, it is our job to take the criminals off the street and put them behind bars where they belong. The success of this operation is an example of what can happen when law enforcement agencies work smarter and work together in the fight against crime.”

The Sheriff's Department first sent a letter to individuals wanted on outstanding warrants, directing them to clear those warrants. A total of 119 warrants, 56 for felony charges, were cleared in this manner.

The sting operation then focused on those who did not clear their warrants from the first letter. A second letter, from the fictitious Missouri Department of Consumer Services, informed fugitives that they were eligible for cash awards as the result of a class action consumer lawsuit brought by the Attorney General's Office against either a multinational consumer products corporation or a national sweepstakes company. The letter instructed recipients to contact “Chris Carter,” who was identified as the executive director of the department, in order to schedule an appointment to pick up their checks.

A temporary claims office was set up in North Kansas City. Undercover officers from the Clay County Sheriff's Department acted as receptionists and office staff. Deputies waited in a back room, ready to arrest, book and take fugitives to jail.

Operation Lam Scam resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of fugitives arrested and warrants cleared, said Sheriff Boydston, whose fugitive team usually arrests an average of five to six fugitives with outstanding warrants a day.

“This has been an extremely efficient operation and a safe operation,” Boydston said. “Tracking down and apprehending a fugitive is one of the most dangerous aspects of our work in law enforcement. This operation allowed us to bring them into a controlled environment where arrests were safely made,” Sheriff Boydston said.

Under Operation Lam Scam, Boydston's team arrested 29 fugitives during the five-day arrest phase of the sting operation, including a man wanted for eight counts of felony forgery who flew in from Florida. Three of those arrested were wanted on felony charges and one remains behind bars as of this morning. A total of $62,237 was posted in bond from the Lam Scam arrests, while the approximate out-of-pocket expenses was $3,000.

The sting attracted fugitives from six states who were arrested for outstanding warrants in Clay County. One man charged with non-support drove in from Iowa; Boydston said it is normally very difficult to collect child support from individuals living out-of-state.

Boydston said the operation provided the Sheriff's Department an opportunity to collect fines and clear warrants of a number of people with bad checks and other misdemeanor charges. The effort resulted in a bonus of providing restitution to small businesses in Clay County that have been victimized by check bouncers.

“This is no small matter to the businesses who have been ripped off by those who write bad checks,” Boydston said. Several fugitives arrested were required to post up to $5,000 bond for bad checks. Any bond forfeitures will go directly to the businesses that lost money, Boydston said.

Both Boydston and Nixon agreed the operation's success depended on the cooperative effort of the Attorney General's Office and the Sheriff's Department.

“The Attorney General's Office provided the logistical support and behind-the-scenes manpower to lend credibility to the project and get it up and running,” Boydston said.

“The high degree of professionalism demonstrated throughout this operation is a credit to Sheriff Boydston, the fugitive team and the entire department,” Nixon said. “In fact, one subject arrested was sufficiently impressed with the department's professionalism that he called the Sheriff's office the next day to tell them so.”

This was the second Operation Lam Scam conducted by the Attorney General's Office in conjunction with a county sheriff. Last November, 218 warrants were cleared in a similar operation in Jefferson County.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818