Government employee admits stealing federal money

ST. LOUIS — A federal worker admitted Thursday to ringing up more than $280,000 of fraudulent charges on a government-issued credit card.

Steven Brown pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public money in federal court in St. Louis. Court records say the 49-year-old of Godfrey, Ill., met a then-exotic dancer, Teressa Shrum of Hannibal, in 2004.

Brown worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Arnold, and he and Shrum came up with a plan to run bogus transactions through her credit card processing business from February to July of last year.

Brown has been suspended from his job and faces 18 months to three years in prison. Schrum attempted to get evidence against her thrown out Tuesday, but she was unsuccessful. The 33-year-old is scheduled for a Nov. 3 trial.