Joplin, Missouri — A Republican candidate for the Missouri House has been charged in federal court after prosecutors accused him of plotting to plant cocaine and Adderall on a primary opponent in an effort to damage her campaign.
Thomas Ross, who won the Republican nomination for Missouri’s 161st House District by 32 votes, was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Ross allegedly spent weeks discussing a plan to place drugs in the purse or vehicle of his primary opponent, Louise Secker. The investigation began after Ross’ former campaign manager contacted Joplin police on July 30 and turned over a bag containing cocaine and an Adderall pill, authorities said.
Court records say text messages between Ross and the former campaign manager referred to the alleged plot in coded language as the “substance of the matter.”
The FBI later provided the former campaign manager with a covert recording device. During a July 31 meeting, the campaign manager allegedly told Ross he still had “the bag and addies” and asked whether Ross wanted him to proceed.
“If you can pull it off…pull it off,” Ross allegedly replied, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors stressed that the allegations remain subject to the judicial process. U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price said voters deserve confidence that candidates will compete with “integrity, honesty and respect for their opponents.”
Sources
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