Federal government indicts Marco Denis on gun charges

Marco Denis, who operates Springfield Plaza through Springfield Property LLC, has been indicted by the federal government on gun charges.

The office of Teresa Moore, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced in a news release yesterday that Denis was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly possessing eight firearms illegally and lying about his criminal record when buying two of the weapons.

The three-count indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint filed against Denis on July 26. Prosecutors have argued that Denis was not legally allowed to possess firearms after he was convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic assault in the third degree in 2003.

The indictment alleges that Denis was illegally in possession of eight firearms, comprising pistols, shotguns and a revolver, between December 2020 and July 16 of this year, according to the release. Federal law prohibits individuals who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to be in possession of a firearm, and officials pointed to Denis' prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault against a person with whom he shared a child in common.

In the indictment announced yesterday, Denis also is charged with two counts of making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer. He allegedly reported he had not been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence when buying two pistols in 2020 and 2021.

Denis remains in federal custody, said Don Ledford, spokesperson for Moore's office. The federal government filed a motion for Denis to be detained without bond until his trial, and the court has taken it under advisement and not yet issued a ruling, Ledford said. A detention hearing was held Aug. 23.

Denis was arrested and jailed in mid-July amid Greene County Circuit Court charges of domestic assault and kidnapping. The federal gun charges were added two weeks later, with officials alleging that law enforcement found firearms when executing search warrants of Denis' residence during the course of the domestic assault and kidnapping investigation.

In the domestic assault and kidnapping case, Denis has been accused of allegedly taking the victim to his boat in Kimberling City and severely beating her, according to past reporting.

Stacie Calhoun Bilyeu, Attorney at Law LLC owner Stacie Bilyeu, who is representing Denis in the federal and county cases with co-counsel Teresa Grantham of Grantham Fiester Law LLC, could not be reached for comment by deadline. Grantham has not responded to previous requests for comment.

While a bond decision awaits on the federal charges, Missouri Case.net records show the county court set bond at $150,000 in cash earlier this month.

Through Springfield Property, Denis purchased the 10-story, 130,000-square-foot Plaza Towers for $13.3 million in 2020, according to past reporting. He's since been renovating the property with plans for an event center and restaurant and bar ventures.