ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4) — A former St. Louis building inspector who pleaded guilty to defrauding taxpayers is asking a judge for a lighter sentence. Prosecutors are telling the judge he should not be granted leniency.
Adebanjo Popoola will be sentenced in two weeks. In an unusual move, the mayor of the city of St. Louis has written a letter to the court outlining how his crimes affected the city and its taxpayers.
Popoola pleaded guilty in June to charges of defrauding the public of pandemic money meant to fix up homes in St. Louis. He declined to answer questions at the time, including when he came up with the idea for the scheme…