Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy that, in total, distributed more than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 10 kilograms of heroin, valued at more than $1.7 million.

Matthew John Fabulae, 33, of was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Friday, March 11, to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Fabulae to forfeit to the government $44,000 based on his distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine during the conspiracy.

On July 21, 2021, Fabulae pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and a money-laundering conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2020. Fabulae also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Fabulae is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendant Amy Leann Nieman, 50, of Moorseville, Mo., was sentenced on Feb. 25, 2022, to nine years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to her role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies and to possessing firearms during a drug-trafficking crime. Co-defendant Seth Alan Turbyfill, 33, of Chillicothe, Mo., pleaded guilty to the same crimes on Jan. 25, 2022, and awaits sentencing.

Fabulae’s plea agreement cites three separate instances in which law enforcement officers had contact with Fabulae, who was in possession of illegal drugs and firearms, while he was staying at local hotels.

On Feb. 12, 2019, Kansas City, Mo., police officers were patrolling the parking lot of the Motel 6 at 3636 Randolph Road when they saw Fabulae drive past in his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Officers activated their emergency equipment and followed Fabulae, attempting to conduct a traffic stop. Fabulae refused to stop and began to elude the officers. Fabulae drove the Jeep off road and up a hill approximately 100 feet from the roadway. Fabulae, who had a black and white drawstring backpack strapped around his shoulders, got out of the vehicle and ran into some trees and brush. The officers followed Fabulae into the brush and found the backpack on the ground. Officers found Fabulae hiding inside a large trash dumpster in a parking lot. Officers searched him and found approximately two grams of methamphetamine, a firearm magazine containing five .45-caliber rounds, and $1,096 in cash. Inside the backpack, officers found 48 grams of cocaine HCL, 10 grams of marijuana, and 280 grams of methamphetamine. Inside Fabulae’s Jeep, officers found four cell phones, one tablet, one laptop, one firearm magazine that contained five rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. On the ground next to the Jeep was a blue backpack with one live .45-caliber round inside. Officers later found a Springfield Armory .45-caliber handgun concealed in some vegetation in the woods.

Kansas City police officers were called to the Sure Stay Plaza Hotel, 11828 N.W. Plaza Circle in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 6, 2017, when two men attempted to rob Fabulae at gun point in his room. Fabulae shot one of the men multiple times and fled from the scene. When Fabulae was arrested a few days later, he told officers he had been in the room about to take a shower when the two men entered the room. One of them pointed a gun at him and a physical altercation ensued. Fabulae stated the gun fell to the floor and he picked it up and fired several times. Fabulae stated he was unsure if the men meant to rob him or kill him.

Law enforcement officers were dispatched to 2214 Taney St. in North Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 28, 2018, on reported sounds of shots. Upon arrival they contacted Fabulae, who allegedly shot into another room. Officers searched Fabulae’s vehicle and found a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, an American Tactical AR pistol, and a black duffel bag that contained 331 grams of methamphetamine, 124 grams of cocaine, and 124 grams of marijuana.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff's Department.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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