Missouri Attorney General Hanaway Marks 100 Days in Office

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway marked 100 days in Office since swearing in as the 45th Attorney General of Missouri on September 8, 2025. Attorney General Hanaway is committed to making the Office a force for safety and accountability. Her bold agenda remains focused on fighting crime, protecting consumers, safeguarding the vulnerable from fraud and abuse, and defending both the U.S. and Missouri Constitution.

“I am honored to serve as Missouri’s 45th Attorney General—and we hit the ground running. These first few months have flown by,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “In my first 100 days in Office, we have gone after violent criminals, fraudsters who try to cheat hardworking Missourians, and those who exploit children and families. We have stood up for the Constitution and everything it represents.”

Prioritizing the Fight Against Violent Crime
Attorney General Hanaway spent the first months of her administration traveling the state to meet directly with the men and women in law enforcement who protect Missouri families every day. She led meetings and participated in roundtables in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Cape Girardeau, and Jefferson City tackling violent crime, drug trafficking, vagrancy, staffing challenges, convenience-store nuisances, juvenile crime, and ensuring every agency has the resources needed to keep their communities safe.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office continues to tackle violent crime, and in the past 100 days the Office has:

• Secured a 25-year sentence for a child predator in the Kansas City region, Joel Smith was convicted of Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree for the sexual abuse of a
  five-year-old boy;
• Secured the commitment of a sexually violent predator in Benton County, Goy Hamilton, who has an extensive history of sexually offending against young boys;
• Secured a First-Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action Conviction against Lucky Johnson for the murder of his wife – in partnership with the Polk County Prosecuting Attorney;
• Secured the conviction of a child predator for the repeated sexual abuse of a family member under the age of 12 – in partnership with the Osage County Prosecuting Attorney;
• Secured the commitment of a sexually violent predator in St. Louis City, Bobby Davis has an extensive history of offending against children and adults;
• Secured the commitment of a sexually violent predator in St. Louis County, Roger Weston has an extensive history of sexual offenses and criminal behaviors dating back to 1981, including home invasion and rape;
• Secured the commitment of a sexually violent predator in Cole County, Calvin Miller was convicted of rape with a weapon after he attacked a female teacher in the Department of Corrections; and
• Filed criminal charges in Shannon County against three Sheriff’s Office personnel for sexual misconduct, forgery, and abuse of power.

The Office also works tirelessly to support law enforcement in making Missouri as safe as possible. The Office serves as the legal backbone for multiple law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Kansas City Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. When officers are sued for actions taken in the line of duty, the Attorney General steps in to help ensure they are protected, represented, and supported. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is currently handling more than 100 active cases defending Missouri’s law enforcement officers. That includes approximately 75 cases affecting St. Louis area officers.

Addressing the Drug Epidemic
Under the direction of General Hanaway, the Office is working to develop a comprehensive initiative to tackle Fentanyl, the rise of distilled and synthetic THC, and deceptively marketed opioid-like drugs. The Attorney General’s Office will hold retailers and wholesalers answerable for selling intoxicating hemp products and operating outside the law. These actions also help protect Missouri kids from mislabeled and untested products being packaged like candy at gas stations and vape shops.

In the past 100 days, the Attorney General’s Office has issued 17 Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to kratom manufacturers and distributors as well as retail smoke shops believed to be manufacturing, distributing, or selling opioid-like drugs that may be in violation of Missouri’s consumer protection laws. The Office has launched a statewide investigation into five retailers selling intoxicating cannabinoids in Missouri, following troubling reports that consumers may be exposed to unregulated, chemically altered, and deceptively marketed THC-like substances.

Leading in Consumer Protection
The Attorney General’s Office is committed to safeguarding Missourians, and the Office is proudly home to some of the state’s most skilled consumer protection attorneys. These dedicated professionals investigate and prosecute deceptive and fraudulent practices, working tirelessly to hold bad actors accountable and secure justice for victims. Under Attorney General Hanaway, the Office has enabled AI programs through Westlaw Co-Counsel software and is reviewing additional AI platforms and programs for efficiency and innovation. The Office will continue seeking new tools to amplify consumer protection and help create more fair, open, and honest marketplace.

Actions the Consumer Protection Section has taken over the past 100 days include:

• Won a $307,000 consent judgment in a case against a Florida real estate brokerage firm, relieving Missouri homeowners of $2.4 million in termination fees;
• Secured more than $158,000 restitution in a Polk County barn construction fraud case;
• Secured more than $60,000 restitution in a Camden County home remodeling fraud case;
• Secured a $60,000 restitution judgment in a Greene County roofing fraud case;
• Filed felony charges against former a St. Peters insurance agent who pocketed more than $160,000 from a scheme, which affected more than 100 families in Missouri;
• Filed felony charges against a contractor for defrauding Greene County residents in excess of $57,000 and not completing promised work;
• Filed felony charges against a Jackson County contractor for leaving victims with financial losses exceeding $15,000 and no repairs performed;
• Filed felony charges against a Kansas City area carpenter who failed to complete promised services, resulting in financial losses exceeding $15,000 for four victims; and
• Launched Phase 2 of Operation Robocall Roundup targeting major telecom providers.

Protecting Missouri Kids in a Digital Age
Attorney General Hanaway is committed to giving parents real tools to protect their children from harmful online exposure—whether from sexual predators, exploitative social media companies, or emerging AI systems lacking safeguards.

In a major victory for Missouri families, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office rule under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act took effect requiring pornographic sites to implement robust age-verification measures or face enforcement action under Missouri law. The regulation, applies to commercial websites and platforms where one-third or more of the content is pornographic or sexually explicit and requires covered websites to deploy age-verification tools to ensure minors cannot access prohibited material. Within hours of the rule taking effect, Pornhub announced it would shut down access to its website in Missouri rather than comply with the regulation.

Defending the Constitution
The Attorney General’s Office brings and defends lawsuits on behalf of the state. Under Attorney General Hanaway, the Office has taken decisive action to defend Missouri’s constitutional authority over redistricting from out-of-state dark-money groups attempting to hijack the process through a referendum effort. The Office has also taken new legal action to reinforce the state’s interest in ensuring that abortion drugs are regulated under the same rigorous standards applied to other high-risk medications.

Attorney General Hanaway continued, “I am extremely blessed to have such an outstanding team of public servants at the Attorney General’s Office, and I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. We remain committed to Missouri and will continue fighting to keep Missourians safe.”

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is one of the state’s largest and most dynamic legal employers, and houses approximately 175 attorneys across the state. These dedicated public servants in the Attorney General’s Office show up to defend Missouri’s laws, protect the state from lawsuits, prosecute criminal cases, handle appeals, and investigate wrongs done to Missourians.