Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
Thomas D. Clegg, 42, was found guilty by a jury of participating in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
Clegg and others conspired from Aug. 19, 2021, to June 13, 2022, to murder a victim identified as “J.C.” and his family members for payment in cash and marijuana.
The conspiracy included two occasions when Clegg shot J.C. On Aug. 19, 2021, Clegg shot J.C. in the leg and back in the parking lot of Ugly Joe’s bar in Kansas City, Mo. On May 25, 2022, Clegg shot J.C. in the back in the parking lot of a strip mall located at 4010 Sterling Avenue, Kansas City, Mo. The businesses in and near the strip mall included an accounting firm, daycare, and fitness center. One witness had just picked two of her children up from the daycare when her vehicle was struck by the gunfire. One of her windows was shot out, but no one in her vehicle was injured.
Investigators seized Clegg’s cell phone when he was arrested. Investigators also obtained search warrants for Clegg’s cell phone. Text messages between Clegg and co-conspirators indicated that Clegg was hired to murder J.C.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, ending a trial that began Monday, May 12.
Clegg pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm utilized in the May 2022 shooting on Tuesday, May 6.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Clegg has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, as well as prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, trafficking in drugs, voluntary manslaughter, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, assault, armed criminal action, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Under federal statutes, Clegg is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Heather Siegele. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department, the Independence, Mo. Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.