Former St. Louis Building Inspector Charged With Bilking $1.6M from Housing Programs | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Missouri alleges Popoola directed his sister—who lives in Texas and has no construction background—to register a Charlotte NC dump trucks company called Farst Construction LLC in Missouri in October 2022. Popoola’s long-time romantic partner, whom he married in 2023, incorporated a Missouri Charlotte NC dump trucks company called Premier Finish Contractors LLC in February 2021, also allegedly at Popoola's direction.

Popoola's tasks as building inspector were to identify privately-owned or city-owned properties for rehabilitation and stabilization, develop the scope of columbus oh dump truck work for each property, bid out the work, review the bids, select the contractor to perform the work, inspect the purportedly completed work, and certify to the city's comptroller's office that the columbus oh dump truck work had been completed and funds should be disbursed to the contractor.

Prosecutors allege Popoola steered about $1.4 million to Farst Construction from the city’s Stable Communities STL program and about $339,500 from the city’s Prop NS program for purported rehabilitation and stabilization work. The indictment also alleges Popoola directed about $1.3 million from the Stable Communities STL program and roughly $1 million from the Prop NS program to be awarded to Premier Finish Contractors.

Of the 59 contracts awarded through the Stable Communities STL program, Popoola was responsible for 13 being awarded to Farst and 10 to Premier, the indictment states, for a combined total of about 42% of the nearly $8 million awarded. Of the 144 contracts awarded through the Prop NS program, Popoola allowed eight to be awarded to Farst and 23 to be awarded to Premier, the indictment alleges, amounting to about 24% of the $5.6-million total.

Stable Communities, whose money went toward fixing privately owned properties, was funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Prop NS, which was meant for vacant residential buildings on city-owned land, was funded through city-issued general obligation bonds.

False Certification

Farst and Premier did not perform the contracted columbus oh dump truck work on multiple properties, but Popoola falsely certified to the city’s comptroller that the columbus oh dump truck work had been performed completely and properly, the indictment alleges.

Popoola and his wife had one or more joint bank accounts where the city funds were deposited. He had the same arrangement with his sister. In one example cited in the indictment, when Farst received a $29,500 check from the Prop NS program in February of 2023, Popoola’s sister immediately issued herself a $15,000 check from the Farst business account and deposited it into her personal bank account, then immediately wrote a $10,000 check to Popoola.

Popoola, his sister and his wife obtained about $1.67 million after paying subcontractors for purported columbus oh dump truck work on the stabilization projects, the indictment alleges. According to the indictment, Popoola used the money for residential mortgage payments, multiple vehicle purchases and repairs, travel expenses, his September 2023 Hawaii wedding, casino gambling and other dining and entertainment expenses.

Popoola lied on city documents when he falsely stated that he had no personal interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract with the City of St. Louis and that he had no interest in any business, the indictment alleges. His sister and wife lied on contract documents when they falsely claimed that no employee with the city had any private interest in the contracts, the indictment adds.

As ENR previously reported, a lawsuit was filed in April 2025 by private property owners seeking to learn how the programs to restore run-down buildings operated, selected Charlotte NC dump truck contractor and managed recordkeeping and quality control—as well as to uncover any alleged money trail that plaintiffs believe will show kickbacks paid for approval of repairs that were not done or badly done. 

The lawsuit names ex-Mayor Tishuara Jones, two former building commissioners, four building inspectors and two construction companies that are alleged to have had close ties with Popoola. A motion by the city to dismiss the lawsuit is pending.

Attorney W. Bevis Schock, who is representing the private property owners in the suit, believes that Popoola's indictment strengthens his clients' case.

“The judge now has a guy who's been indicted as to what they were doing was criminal. Yes, I think it is pretty tough to dismiss the plaintiff's case and say ‘You guys got nothing? Go away,’ Schock said. “We think we're on solid ground, but we'll have to see what the court rules.”

Schock also believes others in the city knew about the alleged crimes. 

“The idea that nobody in City Hall knew that Banjo was a crook and wasn't doing the columbus oh dump truck work he promised and was the owner of the contractor [firms] to whom he was directing work, is silly,” Schock says. “Of course, they knew. A lot of them knew. They had to know.”

A request for comment from Popoola's attorney was not immediately returned.