‘Mayor’ of Homeless Camp Indicted for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City, Mo., man residing in a homeless encampment near a public school was indicted by a federal grand jury today for possessing methamphetamine to distribute near school property and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Ricky Lee Myers, also known as "The Mayor," 62, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today's indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Myers on Oct. 24, 2024.

Today's indictment alleges that Myers possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school on Oct. 23, 2024.

The indictment also charges Myers with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and with one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Myers allegedly possessed a Taurus 9mm pistol on Oct. 23, 2024.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Myers's residence, a small one-room structure built in the middle of a homeless camp on a dirt road extending from East 23rd Street, roughly between Vine Street and Highland Avenue in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 23, 2024. Myers, who was inside the residence, was arrested. Federal agents found the Taurus pistol in a jacket hanging above the bed. Agents found a fanny pack, which contained a bag with approximately 60 grams of methamphetamine, inside a bag hanging on the wall next to the jacket.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Myers has prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery and distributing a controlled substance.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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.