St. Louis Building Inspector Fraud Plea: DOJ Says ARPA And Prop NS Rehab Funds Were Steered To Family Firms

Status, July 1 source check: source-cleared for a BadPD government-accountability and public-corruption ledger. The controlling current source is the June 30, 2026 DOJ Eastern District of Missouri release saying Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola, a former City of St. Louis Building Division inspector, pleaded guilty to three wire-fraud counts in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.

This is public-record accountability reporting, not legal advice, contracting advice, tax advice, real-estate advice, or a claim about every St. Louis rehab, ARPA, Prop NS, LRA, or Building Division project. The final court judgment, plea documents, restitution order, city records, and program files control the final details.

What DOJ Says Popoola Admitted

DOJ says Popoola admitted steering $1.64 million meant for the repair of decrepit St. Louis buildings to himself and relatives. At the time, DOJ says, Popoola managed important pieces of two public repair and stabilization programs: Stable Communities STL and Prop NS.

The funding lanes matter. DOJ says Stable Communities STL was funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and was intended for privately owned properties. DOJ says Prop NS was intended for residential properties owned by the City of St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority and was funded through city-issued general obligation bonds.

DOJ says Popoola’s public duties included identifying properties for rehabilitation or stabilization, developing scopes of work, seeking bids, reviewing bids, awarding bids, inspecting purportedly completed work, and certifying completion so contractors could be paid. That means the alleged failure point was not just one invoice. The source record puts him inside the workflow that selected properties, moved bids, checked work, and unlocked payments.

DOJ says Popoola admitted having his sister, a Texas resident who had never visited St. Louis, incorporate Farst Construction LLC in Missouri in October 2022. DOJ says Popoola’s future wife set up Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February 2021.

The contract totals are direct taxpayer-accountability facts. DOJ says that from about June 12, 2023 through November 22, 2024, Popoola caused Farst to be awarded $1.4 million in Stable Communities STL contracts. DOJ says that from about February 22, 2023 through March 8, 2024, Popoola steered $339,500 in Prop NS contracts to Farst. DOJ also says that from October 9, 2023 through May 7, 2024, Popoola steered about $1.3 million from Stable Communities STL and about $853,100 from Prop NS to Premier.

DOJ’s ARPA figure is especially sharp. Of $7.19 million in ARPA funds disbursed through Stable Communities STL, DOJ says Farst received $1.79 million and Premier received $1.53 million. That is 42 percent of the total ARPA funds disbursed through that program, according to DOJ’s release.

The False-Certification Problem

The plea matters because DOJ says Popoola’s role was tied to inspection and certification. Private building owners and LRA representatives reported that on multiple projects, Farst and Premier failed to perform rehabilitation and stabilization work for which the companies were paid. DOJ says Popoola falsely certified that the work had been performed completely and properly.

That turns a city rehab story into a records story. A completion certification is supposed to tell the public system that work has been done and payment can move. If DOJ’s record is accurate, the certification layer was used to release public money while property owners and LRA representatives later reported that work had not actually been completed on multiple projects.

DOJ says that after subcontractor payments for purported stabilization work, Popoola, his sister, and wife shared in and personally used about $1.64 million. DOJ says Popoola and his wife had joint bank accounts where city funds were deposited and shared, and DOJ says he had the same arrangement with his sister.

DOJ says Popoola admitted using Prop NS and Stable Communities STL funds for residential mortgage payments, multiple vehicle purchases and repairs, travel expenses, his September 2023 Hawaii wedding, casino gambling, dining, and entertainment.

The conflict-of-interest lane is also explicit. DOJ says Popoola admitted concealing his connection to the companies on city Employee Secondary Employment Questionnaires in 2022 and 2023. DOJ says he falsely stated that he had no personal interest in a city contract and no interest in any business. DOJ says his sister and wife falsely certified on contract documents that no city officer or employee involved with the project had a private interest in the contract.

What Prop NS Is Supposed To Do

The City of St. Louis Prop NS page describes a vacant-building stabilization program, not a normal private contracting pool. The city says Prop NS stabilizes LRA-owned properties that are vacant, residential, and six units or less. The city describes a nomination, inspection, review, recommendation, and board-vote process: nominated properties are inspected by the Prop NS team, reviewed by the Stabilization Advisory Committee, and then sent to the LRA Board of Commissioners for votes on stabilization funding.

After stabilization work is completed, the city says properties are made available through 21-day offer windows. Buyers must be able to complete rehabilitation to city occupancy standards within 24 months.

The program’s funding history is also part of the public-interest record. The city says Proposition NS was approved by voters on April 4, 2017 and directs the city to issue and sell $40 million in general obligation bonds, with no more than $6 million issued annually, for stabilizing residential properties owned by the Land Reutilization Authority. The city says the ordinances limit Prop NS investment to no more than $30,000 for a single-family house and no more than $50,000 for a 2-6-family building.

The city’s archived September 9, 2020 kickoff release says the program was designed to stabilize vacant buildings in St. Louis and strengthen neighborhood improvement efforts. It says residents and community members could nominate LRA-owned residential buildings for stabilization, and it identifies LRA as the city’s land bank.

This context does not prove a broader program-wide failure by itself. It explains why the plea is important. If a city inspector can steer work and certify completion in a voter-approved vacant-building stabilization program, the public needs property-level records, bid files, payment trails, and control reforms, not a vague assurance that the money was intended for good purposes.

ARPA, Vacancy, And Public Trust

The City of St. Louis Neighborhood Transformation Investments page says the city’s vacancy layers reflect a combination of ARPA, Prop NS, CDBG, and locally funded investments through the Building Division, Community Development Administration, and LRA. The city says it works with the Vacancy Collaborative to deploy funds strategically toward buildings that pose public nuisances, have absentee owners, and have economic-development potential.

Those public goals are exactly why this kind of case matters. ARPA and bond-funded stabilization money is not abstract. Residents see the properties. Homeowners live next to vacant buildings. Buyers rely on the city process. Taxpayers pay for the work. Contractors who follow the rules lose if insider-controlled firms receive contracts and payments without doing required work.

BadPD’s accountability frame is narrow: the public record says a former city inspector pleaded guilty, DOJ says he admitted steering public funds to firms connected to family members, and official city pages show that the affected programs were tied to vacant-building stabilization, private-property rehabilitation, ARPA funds, LRA-owned housing stock, and general-obligation bond money.

The right follow-up is not to smear every contractor, inspector, city employee, or rehab program. The right follow-up is to ask which properties, which bids, which certifications, which invoices, which payments, and which controls failed.

Confirmed, Context, Pending

Confirmed by the June 30, 2026 DOJ plea release

• Adebanjo “Banjo” Popoola pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud.
• DOJ says Popoola was a City of St. Louis Building Division inspector.
• DOJ says he managed important aspects of Stable Communities STL and Prop NS.
• DOJ says Stable Communities STL used federal ARPA funds and was intended for privately owned properties.
• DOJ says Prop NS involved residential properties owned by the LRA and city general obligation bond funding.
• DOJ says Popoola caused or steered contracts to Farst Construction and Premier Finish Contractors.
• DOJ says Farst and Premier received 42 percent of $7.19 million in ARPA funds disbursed through Stable Communities STL.
• DOJ says private building owners and LRA representatives reported multiple paid projects where Farst and Premier failed to perform required work.
• DOJ says Popoola falsely certified that work was complete and proper.
• DOJ says Popoola, his sister, and wife shared in and personally used about $1.64 million.
• DOJ says sentencing is scheduled for October 6, and Popoola will be ordered to repay the money.
• DOJ says the FBI investigated with substantial cooperation from the City of St. Louis Comptroller’s Office.

Official city context

• Prop NS is a voter-approved vacant-building stabilization program for LRA-owned residential properties.
• The city says Prop NS properties are inspected, reviewed by the Stabilization Advisory Committee, and voted on by the LRA Board.
• The city says Prop NS is backed by up to $40 million in general obligation bonds, with annual and per-building limits.
• The city says vacancy investments combine ARPA, Prop NS, CDBG, and local funds through Building Division, CDA, and LRA.

Pending or missing records

• Plea agreement and factual basis.
• Final judgment and restitution order.
• Exact property list, bid files, scopes of work, inspection records, and certifications.
• Contractor payment records and subcontractor documentation.
• Employee Secondary Employment Questionnaires and conflict-of-interest certifications.
• City Comptroller cooperation records and any audit findings.
• LRA Board records and Stabilization Advisory Committee records tied to affected properties.
• Any city discipline, termination, debarment, procurement reform, or program-control changes.
• ARPA reporting, clawback, insurance, bond, or recovery records.

Records St. Louis Residents Should Watch

The first record to watch is the federal court file. Sentencing is scheduled for October 6, according to DOJ. The plea agreement, factual basis, sentencing memoranda, restitution materials, and final judgment should clarify what Popoola admitted, what the court orders, and what money is recoverable.

The second record lane is property-level accountability. The public should be able to identify which Stable Communities STL and Prop NS properties were affected, what work was approved, what work was paid, what work was unfinished or improperly certified, and what repairs or recovery steps followed. Property owners, neighbors, and taxpayers should not have to reconstruct that from scattered rumors.

The third lane is procurement and conflict-control. The public record should show who reviewed bids, who approved vendor eligibility, what conflict-of-interest checks were required, how Employee Secondary Employment Questionnaires were verified, and whether family-connected firms could be detected before payments moved.

The fourth lane is ARPA and bond accountability. Stable Communities STL used federal ARPA funds, while Prop NS used city general obligation bond money. Those funding streams have different reporting, oversight, and public-accountability requirements. A useful follow-up should separate them instead of treating all city rehab money as one pool.

What Not To Infer

This source set does not prove that every Prop NS project was improper. It does not prove that every Stable Communities STL property was affected. It does not prove that every St. Louis Building Division employee, LRA employee, contractor, or city official knew about the conduct. It does not establish final restitution figures beyond DOJ’s statement that Popoola will be ordered to repay the money.

It also does not answer whether affected properties were later fixed, whether the city recovered funds, whether contractors were suspended, whether project files were corrected, or whether local controls changed after the investigation. Those are records questions, not assumptions.

The public-interest demand is straightforward: attach the case to property records, make the oversight fixes visible, and show residents how a city inspector’s certification authority will be checked before the next vacant-building dollar moves.

Source Ledger

• DOJ USAO Eastern District of Missouri plea release, June 30, 2026
• City of St. Louis Prop NS Program page, accessed July 1, 2026
• City of St. Louis Neighborhood Transformation Investments page, accessed July 1, 2026
• City of St. Louis Prop NS kickoff archive, September 9, 2020

Featured image is symbolic editorial artwork created for BadPD. It is not DOJ, FBI, court, City of St. Louis, LRA, contractor, property, inspection, bid, defendant, or crime-scene photography.