A Republican candidate for the Missouri legislature has been charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after federal authorities say he tried to plant cocaine and Adderall on his primary opponent to sink her campaign.
Thomas Ross, 37, of Joplin, is accused of asking his former campaign manager to plant the drugs on Louise Secker, his rival for the Republican nomination in Missouri’s 161th District, which covers Joplin, ahead of the August 4 primary. Ross beat Secker by fewer than three dozen votes.
According to a probable cause statement signed by an FBI agent, the former campaign manager told investigators Ross gave him a black nylon glove containing a small plastic bag of white powder and a pink and white capsule, and told him to plant it in Secker’s purse or vehicle while Ross was out of state on vacation.
Federal investigators obtained text messages Ross allegedly sent his campaign manager while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, including one asking, “Any luck with the substance of the matter? I won’t be gone much longer.”
The FBI also secretly recorded a conversation in which Ross allegedly proposed calling in an anonymous tip claiming Secker had drugs in her car.
“If you can pull it off, pull it off,” Ross allegedly said.
Ross did not respond Thursday to an Associated Press request for comment on the charges, which were filed mid-week. The federal public defender’s office assigned to the case did not say how Ross plans to plead.
Missouri Republican Party Chairman Peter Kinder issued a statement this week calling the allegations “serious and deeply troubling” and urging Ross to drop out of the race.
