A Republican nominee for the Missouri House has been charged in an alleged scheme to plant cocaine and Adderall on his GOP primary opponent and then report her to law enforcement.
Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, of Joplin, was charged in federal court Wednesday with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance. Ross won the Republican nomination for Missouri House District 161 in August.
According to an FBI affidavit, Ross allegedly asked his former campaign manager, identified in court documents only as “C.S.,” to plant drugs on his primary opponent, Louise Curchin Secker.
The alleged plot reportedly began to unravel on July 30, when the former campaign manager contacted the Joplin Police Department about what authorities described as a “public corruption” matter.
The campaign manager turned over a black nylon glove that he claimed Ross had provided. Inside the glove, investigators allegedly found a plastic bag containing white powder and a pink-and-white capsule.
Law-enforcement testing indicated that the powder was cocaine. Authorities identified the capsule as a 20-milligram extended-release dose of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, commonly sold under the brand name Adderall. Both substances are controlled under federal law.
Prosecutors allege Ross wanted the campaign manager to slip the drugs into Secker’s purse or vehicle while Ross was vacationing outside Missouri.
According to the probable-cause statement, Ross and the campaign manager allegedly used phrases such as “the substance of the matter” while discussing the plan through text messages.
In one June message cited by investigators, Ross allegedly asked whether there had been any progress with “the substance of the matter.”
Prosecutors further allege Ross hoped the drugs could be planted before Secker attended a Republican women’s event, creating what he described as “extreme egg on the face” for his opponent, the Missouri Independent reported.
After the campaign manager contacted authorities, the FBI reportedly equipped him with a covert recording device for a July 31 meeting at Ross’s home.
During the recorded conversation, the campaign manager allegedly raised the possibility of placing the drugs in Secker’s vehicle and making an anonymous report to police.
“If you can pull it off…pull it off,” Ross allegedly responded, according to the affidavit.
Court records do not indicate that the drugs were ever planted.
Ross subsequently defeated Secker in the August 4 Republican primary by an extraordinarily narrow margin.
Ross received 1,586 votes, while Secker received 1,555, a difference of only 31 votes, according to News Talk KRZG.
He is scheduled to face Democrat Aaron Joseph Metzger in the November 3 general election.
Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder called on Ross to withdraw from the race following his arrest.
“While Mr. Ross is entitled to due process,” Kinder said, the circumstances surrounding the arrest were “serious and deeply troubling.”
Kinder said the voters of District 161 deserve a nominee capable of devoting his full attention to earning their trust and representing them in Jefferson City. The Jasper County Republican Central Committee subsequently joined Kinder’s call for Ross to step aside.
U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price said voters deserve confidence in the electoral process and that candidates are expected to campaign with honesty, integrity, and respect for their opponents.
FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod characterized the alleged conduct as “substantial and serious,” while emphasizing that the case must proceed fairly and impartially.
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